Ai
by Mind Assassin
Summary: Ai, it's a powerful thing. It can make one truly happy, or cause true agony. Tigress knows this pain well, but since Po arrived at the palace, all that seemed to melt away. The pain, the sorrow, perhaps now she can experience the happiness it can bring.
1. Chapter 1

_Tigress stepped through the enormous gate and into the Jade Palace. She was only six years old at the time Shifu had taken her from Boa Gu. He had trained her at the orphanage for the past few months, teaching her ways to control her strength, and about meditation. It was a long and frustrating road, but she was determined and persistent. She had come a long way, and now she was standing in awe at the Jade Palace. The most sacred place in China, she had heard a few stories about it before, but the real thing exceeded all her expectations. All she had ever wanted was a family, and now she not only had that, but she would also be trained to become a great Kung Fu warrior by Master Shifu himself. _

"_Tigress," her thoughts were interrupted by the voice of Shifu, "come with me there's someone I want you to meet." Tigress was happy to follow her newfound father. She was smiling and laughing as she followed him, jumping from trees and rocks on all four limbs, exploring as much of the palace exterior as she could along the way. They stopped at a large building with doors as large as the gate they had come through, "The Hall of Warriors" Shifu had called it. He pushed open one of the large wooden barriers and stepped inside with Tigress in tow. Tigress was once again awe struck by the many antiquities within the hall, she didn't know what any of them were yet but she could see that each had its own story to tell, and none could have a price on it._

"_Master Oogway," Tigress was again pulled back into reality by Shifu's voice, she turned to where he was facing and saw someone, a very aged Tortoise, remove himself from the wooden pole he was balanced on._

"_Shifu, what can I do for you today," Oogway turned his head to see Tigress, "Oh, and who is this?"_

"_Master, this is Tigress," Shifu looked towards Tigress, "and this is Master Oogway. He is the father of Kung Fu."_

_Oogway approached Tigress "I see, Tigress, I've heard good things about you from Shifu. It sounds like you will be a successful Kung Fu master one day." Her ears perked up and her smile reached up to both of them._

"_Master I would like to introduce her to Jai, would you know where he is?"_

_Oogway looked up with his hand on his chin deep in thought, "Jai, I believe that he is in the training hall, or if he's not there, try the Sacred Peach Tree, he may be meditating."_

_Shifu bowed to his master and walked back through the doorway, motioning for Tigress to follow, she obeyed, again jumping around on all four limbs. "Master Shifu, who's Jai?" Tigress asked finally walking next to Shifu on two legs._

"_Oh, I forgot to mention him on the way up here didn't I? Well Jai will be your new step-brother." _

_That same expression from earlier returned to her face, "I have a brother!"_

_Shifu returned her cheerful smile, "Yes you do, he began his training her with me when he was only three years old. In his first two years, he mastered two hundred of the one thousand scrolls of Kung Fu. He impressed Oogway so much that he decided to train him personally when he was five. He's the same age as you now and has already mastered three hundred."_

"_Three hundred! How could he have mastered that many so fast?" Tigress remembered Shifu talking about the scrolls on the way to the palace. Even he hadn't mastered them all, and he could certainly never have mastered one hundred in a single year._

"_I had the same reaction when I was training him. One isn't even supposed to begin training in the art of Kung Fu until they're at age five, but Jai seems to be a Prodigy in the art. If he keeps moving at this rate he should have the scrolls mastered by the time he's thirteen."_

_They came upon the training hall where the sounds of someone in combat could be heard. Shifu opened the door and Tigress could see someone in the middle of a field of wooden warriors. She couldn't see him clearly but she could see a few of the wooden warriors broken and scattered across the ground, and she could see the fluid and graceful movements of the person that had dismembered them._

"_Jai," Shifu had a bad habit of derailing her train of thought like that "there's someone here I'd like you to meet."_

_Jai jumped out of the training course and off to the side in one fluid motion, he did a back flip over the wooden warriors, and made it look much easier than it was. Now that he was in clear view Tigress could see that he wore a very dark black tunic and matching pants with and orange belt tied loosely around his waist. He appeared to be a tiger as well, but instead of orange fur he had black fur to match his clothing and white stripes, she wasn't sure what to call that. He also had dark red eyes that seemed to glow like a candle light. She couldn't help but stare at him with a curious look; she had no idea of exactly __**what**__ he was._

_Jai looked first at Master Shifu, and then the young female tiger caught his eye. He noticed how she was looking at him, the same way everyone did when they first met him. He couldn't blame them, when he looked at his reflection he wasn't sure what he was looking at either. It didn't matter to him though, he knew __**who**__ he saw and that was all that mattered to him. "I'm not sure how to answer that either."_

_Tigress averted her gaze from him for a moment and then looked back at his eyes, "Answer what?"_

_Jai smiled at her, "The question on your mind, it's the same as everyone else. I'm a cross between a black panther and a white tiger; I don't know what to call that either." He walked up to her and Shifu, "I'm Jai, what can I call you?" he extended his hand towards her._

_She took his paw into hers, "I'm Tigress."_

_Shifu smiled looking at the two, Jai always had a way of becoming fast friends with whomever he met. Even when he was tormenting Shifu, he couldn't help but laugh with him. He cleared his throat to get their attention, "Jai, why don't you show Tigress around the palace. You two should get to know each other." Shifu walked off and went to meditate. _

_After he had left Tigress turned back to Jai, "So Shifu told me that you're my new step-brother."_

"_It seems that way, but we can talk about that later, why don't we start your tour of the Jade Palace, you've got a lot to see."

* * *

_

Tigress' meditation was ended by the sound of the morning gong. It had been twelve years since Jai had left and she didn't think he would be coming back, but she still held onto those memories. Jai had been the only real friend she ever had. She had always kept herself distant from the rest of the five, and she rarely left the palace. There was always Viper whom she would confide in when she needed someone to talk to, but she still had never gotten all that close to her. She jumped up and rushed over to her door, "Good morning Master." The five all said in unison as they did every morning.

Po did the same shortly after from inside his room. He still never woke up on time, but he was getting better. Still groggy he didn't notice his sheet around his leg. When he opened his door and tried to step out, he tripped over it and fell on his face. Tigress smiled, and reached out to help him up. It had been three weeks since Tai Lung's defeat and he still couldn't stand on his own two feet. Tigress had really warmed up to him though. She still used him as a punching bag in training, but he didn't seem to mind.

Po took her paw and she pulled him up, "Thanks" Po kicked the sheet from his foot, as everyone else followed Master Shifu.

Before she could leave with the others, something stopped Tigress. She looked back to see what was holding her, and both her and Po realized that their hands were still together. They quickly pulled away and stood staring at each other in awkward silence. Tigress looked into Po's Jade eyes and tried to speak but no sound came.

Po said the words for her, "We-umm, we should… catch up with the others."

Tigress tore her eyes away from his, "Right, Master Shifu is probably getting impatient." They both walked off wondering what had just happened.

* * *

A/N: Wait, Tigress has a brother? She does now, via the amazing powers of an author. Any way love it, hate it, let me know. Either way tell me what i did right and wrong. It's difficult to improve my writing if i don't have feedback.


	2. Chapter 2

In the training hall, everyone was going about their usual routine. Viper was in the Field of Flames, Monkey swinging through the Seven Talon Rings, Crane deflecting an assortment of objects on the Jade Tortoise, Mantis moving through the Wooden Warriors with lightning speed, and Po locked in a fight with the adversary. The only thing that was out of place were the still intact swinging clubs. Usually Tigress would have demolished them by now, but instead she only sat in a corner meditating. She was thinking about what happened with Po earlier, and what she had felt when she looked into his eyes. When he first came to the Jade Palace she felt nothing for him, but that had been gradually changing every day. Once she hated him for stealing away the title of Dragon Warrior, then she came to respect him as a fellow master, then as a close friend, and now…now she wasn't sure what she felt. True she had spent much more time with him since Tai Lung's defeat, and they had gotten closer, almost inseparable, but that didn't mean they were anything more than friends, did it? Maybe it did mean something more, maybe more than either cared to admit, but something was there, that much was undeniable. Whatever was there was new to Tigress, and she wasn't sure what to call it yet. She wished there was someone who could help her sort this out, but if she was developing, feelings, for Po than she certainly didn't want to talk to Shifu about it, and she didn't feel like her and Viper were that close either. She drifted off into another of those memories she held on to so tightly.

_Tigress walked up to the Sacred Peach Tree hoping to find someone else already there. She was thirteen now, and Shifu had grown more and more bitter over the years. He never offered words of encouragement or compassion, he was never satisfied with what she did, he always demanded more than what she could give and tore her down when she failed. She wouldn't have been able to handle it for so long if she was alone. Jai had always been there when she needed a friend, always there with words of encouragement and comfort, always there with a carefree smile, and always there to pick her up when she fell. He had become more like master Oogway over the years, and after ten years, he was like a younger version of the master. _

_His wisdom and insight challenged that of Oogway himself. The often-exchanged riddles with one another, Oogway usually came out on top when they did, but Jai was a worthy adversary. They spoke to each other about philosophy, and even about new Kung Fu styles. They were close friends, to each other as well as Tigress. When she reached the tree, he was there, as expected, looking out over the valley._

_He didn't speak, he only moved his ears to show he was listening, "Jai, usually you're meditating up here. Why are you so interested in the valley?"_

_He turned towards her with a curious look, "Didn't Shifu tell you?"_

_Tigress was confused, "Tell me what?"_

"_I'm leaving. I won't be seeing the valley again anytime soon."_

_Her expression changed to one of shock and pain, "What, but you can't leave now! You mastered the thousand scrolls; shouldn't you become the Dragon Warrior?"_

"_I refused Oogway's offer of the Dragon Scroll." He stopped to hear Tigress' reaction, but she couldn't speak, "I have everything I need from here, I want to see the rest of the world like Master Oogway did." Tigress had tears beginning to form in her eyes. Jai took her into a tight embrace, "Don't worry, you'll be fine you don't need me here anymore." He tried to pull away, but she held tight as tears started to roll down her face, "Tigress I won't be gone forever."_

_Tigress wiped the tears from her eyes, "You promise you'll come back?"_

"_I promise." Jai laughed, and she finally let him go. He began his descent down the stairs, Tigress stayed at the Sacred Peach Tree as more tears started to flow._

"Tigress, Tigress wake up." Tigress opened her eyes; her vision was blurred by the moisture in them. She wiped it away before any could escape. Viper was next to her with a worried expression, "Tigress are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Where are the others?" Tigress noticed that they were the only two in the training hall.

"They already went to the kitchen for lunch. You've been here awhile; what exactly was going through your mind?"

Tigress stood up and headed towards the door, "Nothing that you should concern yourself with. Now let's catch up with the others." Viper wasn't satisfied with her answer, but didn't ask anymore. She made her way to the kitchen with Tigress following. Tigress looked towards the ground and her ears were flat against her head as she walked.

She lifted her head and ears back up, and a ghost of a smile could be seen when she made it to the kitchen. Po was there serving lunch with his usual carefree smile, "Hey, what took you two so long?" he put a bowl in front of each person and took a seat at the end of the table, Tigress sat next to him.

She didn't take part in any of the conversations that took place over the meal, or even listen to a word of them. She kept glancing over at Po still trying to sort out what she felt towards him. When she was near him, she felt, happy, she felt like she was was always there when she needed a friend, always there with words of encouragement and comfort, always there with a carefree smile, and always there to pick her up when she fell. In that, he was much like Jai, but she felt different around him than she did around Jai. Jai had always been her friend, but Po was more than that. Jai always had words of kindness or wisdom to share, but Po didn't even need to say anything; she was happy just being near him.

Po was talking and with the others, but he didn't touch his food. He had something more important on his mind than food, for once, or rather, someone. He had always felt something for the master of the Tiger style. Ever since he first came to the Jade Palace and landed in front of her, even before that. He was a huge fan of the Furious Five, but mainly the feline master. Anyone who had seen his room could tell from the posters on his wall that he saw her as more than a great warrior. She was known across China for much more than being a great warrior, and caught the eyes of many males, but to Po, she was a goddess. He would never have thought that they could be together, he was just a big fat panda after all, but the way she looked at him in the bunkhouse, there was something there. Even Po knew that, but how could she ever fall for him. She could have any male in China; she would never fall for someone like him, would she?

* * *

A/N: Thank you for the kind words on the last chapter.

DJ Wolfman09: Glad you like the idea of Tigress having a brother. I don't intend to go into great detail about his travels in the near future, but I may go a little deeper into detail later.

* * *


	3. Chapter 3

_Tigress sat on her bed holding her legs to her chest and resting her head on her knees. It had been three years since she came to the Jade Palace, and with each day, Shifu became more and more bitter. He expected more from her each day and she couldn't live up to his expectations anymore. When she first started her training, Shifu had said she would become a great warrior, but now she didn't know if she should even be in the Jade Palace. A tear rolled down her cheek, then another, and then, hard she tried to fight them, they started to cascade down her face._

_Jai could hear her from his room next to hers. He walked quietly out of his room and slid open the door to hers, "Tigress,"_

"_Jai," Tigress quickly wiped away her tears and tried to regain her composure._

"_Why were you crying?" Jai sat next to her and spoke in a soft soothing tone._

_Tigress looked towards the ground and let a heavy sigh escape her throat, "I just can't be what Shifu wants me to be anymore."_

_Jai smiled and put a hand on her shoulder, "Yes you can, and you are." Tigress looked up at him curiously, "You don't hear Shifu when he's with Oogway. All he ever says is how proud of you he is."_

_Tigress' ears perked up and she lifted her head higher, "He does?"_

"_Of course, he acts the way he does because he wants you to keep pushing yourself to be the best you can be, but never think that means he's not proud of what you are." Jai stood up from the bed and looked down at her._

_Her head was held high and she was smiling again "Thanks Jai."_

_He moved over to her door "Anytime" he slid her door closed and went back to his room.

* * *

_

The morning gong once again interrupted Tigress, and again the five stepped out of their rooms and greeted their master. Shifu walked over to Po's door, he was again the only one that didn't get up, and threw open the door, but Po was not in his room. Shifu and Tigress stared at his bed in disbelief; he was never up before them. Shifu turned towards his students, "Where is Po?" They looked at each other trying to find an answer.

"Should we find him Master?" Tigress questioned

Shifu was silent for a moment, "Tigress I want you to find Po; everyone else, to the Training Hall as usual."

The five bowed to their master and went off to their assigned tasks. Tigress searched the grounds for Po. He wasn't in the kitchen, nor the hall of warriors, or the Sacred Peach Tree. He didn't seem to be anywhere in the Palace, which left one place. Tigress reached the Pool of Sacred Tears to find Po sitting on a rock in the center.

"Po, what are you doing here?" That he had woken up before any of the others was odd enough, but that he had walked all the way to the pool and was sitting still for more than five seconds. That was almost scary.

Po turned around to see Tigress and slid off the rock he was sitting on, "Oh, well I couldn't sleep last night so I decided to come up here."

Tigress was only more confused, "You, couldn't sleep, and you decided to walk all the way up here?"

"Yeah, I had a lot on my mind, and it was quite up here." Po was looking towards the ground with a hand on the back of his neck.

Tigress moved closer to him, "Really, what was on your mind."

He looked up at her, she was on his mind, but he couldn't tell her that, "Oh, umm… well, nothing important." Po tried to act like it was nothing, but he was a bad liar.

Tigress sat on the rock that he had just moved from, "Po honestly if it kept you up all night it was something important." She looked up at him and smiled.

Po thought that smile was one of the most wonderful things he had ever seen; he couldn't help but do the same. He sat next to her on the stone, "What was on my mind was…well, you" Po winced when he realized he said that aloud. She would probably kill him for it.

Tigress was shocked at first when he said it, but then she felt an overwhelming sense of joy wash over her, "Po…"

He turned to face her "I know, it's a stupid-."

Po stopped when she took his paws into hers, and kissed his cheek, which turned bright red. Then she just looked into Po's Jade eyes, "…I've never been happier." The two of them sat together with their paws intertwined. Looking up at the clouds, she felt like she was with them flying through the sky. They stood up and held each other close, she moved her head through the fur on his chest and purred softly.

Po and Tigress walked down from the Pool of Sacred tears hand in hand. The others were just leaving the Training Hall as they neared the end of the trail. Viper noticed them first, "Hey guys it looks like Tigress finally brought Po back."

"Finally, what do you think took them so long?" Mantis asked the other masters.

Monkey answered, "I don't know, but Shifu is gonna kill Po for missing out on Training this morning, and making Tigress miss hers too."

Crane was the first to take notice of something very unusual about Tigress, "Wait, is it just me or is Tigress actually smiling?"

This got the attention of the others, and Mantis noticed something too, "Your right, she is smiling, and laughing."

Another comment from monkey, "She actually looks happy, I don't think I've ever seen her like that."

Viper was the only one to notice that her paw was in Po's, but she didn't say anything about it. She just let the two be.


	4. Chapter 4

Po and Tigress were nearing the end of the trail that lead them back to the Jade Palace. Tigress could see their friends leaving the Training Hall, "Po, if we're going to be together we still need to tell the others."

Po looked over at the four, "Do we have to? Cause Shifu is probably going to kill me."

"He won't kill you; he might just maim you." She laughed, Po cringed.

The other four were walking to the kitchen together and ran into Shifu in the courtyard, "Students I assume your training went well."

"Yes Master" they all said in unison.

"Good, now where is Tigress?"

"I'm here Master." Tigress came into the courtyard with Po following behind her.

"Tigress, there's someone here that would like to see you." Shifu had a wide grin.

"Who is that Master?"

Before she received an answer, a voice came from behind her, "Now don't tell me I've been forgotten."

Tigress had wide eyes as everyone turned to see who had spoken. There stood a large tiger, maybe six feet tall, with black fur and white stripes. Tigress pounced on top of the newcomer, taking them both to the ground, smiling from one ear to the other. She wrapped her arms around him tightly, "Jai it's so good to see you again!"

Jai was laughing as Tigress pinned him to the ground, "It's good to see you too."

Tigress pushed herself off Jai and they both stood up "So what brought you back?"

"Well I promised I wouldn't be gone forever didn't I? Also I thought you might want to meet your nephew." Jai brushed some of the dirt off his dark clothing.

Tigress' eyes widened again and her smile grew even larger, "You have a son?"

Jai returned her wide smile "Yes, I do, he and his mother stopped to eat in the valley. They should be here soon enough."

"Who is your wife?"

Crane cleared his throat to get their attention, "I'm sorry to interrupt, but who is this?"

Tigress and Shifu finally noticed the confused expression on everyone's face, "Oh, I'm sorry. This is Jai, he's my step-brother."

That didn't really help anyone "You have a brother?" the five said in unison

Jai had a saddened expression, "What you two never mentioned me?" He looked between Tigress and Shifu.

Tigress answered him, "Well it's been twelve years. It never really came up in conversation before."

Jai let his carefree expression return, "No, well I've heard a lot about Master Crane." Jai looked at him.

Crane looked up at him in disbelief, "From whom?"

"From me." Another voice came from the gates. They all turned again to see who it was.

Cranes eyes widened now, At the gate stood a mountain cat with spotted brown fur, and amber eyes. "Mei Ling?"

"Oh good so you do remember me."

Crane flew over to his old friend, "How could I forget?" when he was near Mei Ling, he took notice of the younger male tiger that was with her, "Who's this?"

Tigress ran over to see the young tiger as well, with Jai behind her, "I'm assuming that this is the one you wanted me to meet."

Jai nodded, "Tigress this is Shen, and Shen this is your aunt."

Tigress knelt down in front of Shen, he was about as high as her waist, and he was a tiger with red eyes like his father but his fur, was the same color as Mei Ling's, and he wore clothes that were similar to Jai's, "Shen, It's nice to meet you."

Shen bowed to the Master of the Tiger style, "It's nice to finally meet you too. Baba has told us a lot about you." he was only a child, but his speech sounded very refined.

Crane interjected, "It looks like there's a lot that we need to catch up on so why don't we do it over lunch. We still haven't eaten."

The others nodded in agreement. Over lunch, they found out that Mei Ling and Jai had been married for six years, and that Shen was nearly six years old with almost three hundred scrolls under his belt, just like his father. They also found out that, Jai had traveled much of the world, as he wanted too. He hadn't seen as much as he wanted, because he decided to end his travels when he met Mei Ling, but it was well worth it. She had also mastered the thousand scrolls, with Jai's assistance. They each had even developed their own styles.

Shen was exceptionally intelligent for his age, well mannered, easy to get along with, and fun to be around. He made friends with the residents of the Jade Palace quickly. He had a natural talent for Kung Fu that even impressed Jai. Mei Ling said that she was sure he was practicing in the womb. Shen was as intelligent as any of the adults at the table, and was already starting to gain Jai's wisdom and insight.

After lunch, the Five and Po resumed their training, and Mei Ling was practicing with Shen in the courtyard, while Jai talked with Shifu in the hall of warriors.

"Jai, what exactly made you decide to come back now?"

"Well I was planning on staying. I need a place to settle down with Mei Ling and Shen, and while our home in the Imperial city is very nice, I'd prefer a more peacful setting, like the valley."

Shifu raised an eyebrow, "You could have anything you want and you plan on staying here? Why not one of the many places you must have seen in your travels? You know the Jade Palace well enough already."

Jai looked down at the minute master with his usual no worries expression, "Because I have everything I want. I have the woman of my dreams, a child, and a place to call home."

Shifu smiled up to his large round ears, "I'm glad to hear that, because I was hoping you would stay, and take Oogway's place."

Jai looked surprised, even though he had expected the offer, "You want me to take the place of Master Oogway?"

"Why not, you were his student too and you mastered the thousand scrolls. You traveled the world just as he did, and you're much wiser than I. I don't see why you wouldn't be a suitable successor to him."

"I don't see why not either. It gives me a place to live, and raise Shen to be a Kung Fu master. I'll accept the offer."

"Good," Shifu looked into the moon pool behind him and saw the reflection of the Dragon Scroll, "Jai, if you don't mind my asking, why did you turn down Oogway's offer for you to be the Dragon Warrior?"

Jai looked up at the Scroll, "Because he never offered for me to be the Dragon Warrior." Shifu appeared confused, "He knew I wasn't the Dragon Warrior, and he knew I wouldn't take the scroll, it was just one final test before I left. Just to be sure that all he had tried to teach me had been learned."

"A test, but I don't understand, what do you mean?"

Jai looked into the Moon Pool at his reflection, "You've seen what was on the scroll haven't you?"

"Yes, it was nothing, just a blank scroll."

"Exactly, you didn't really believe that a piece of parchment could grant ultimate power did you?" Shifu's eye started to twitch, "No, that sort of power can only come from within one's self. Oogway only wanted to be sure that I understood that before I left. That's also, why he chose Po as the Dragon Warrior. He didn't want fame or fortune, he just wanted be the best he could be." Shifu's jaw dropped to the floor, Jai had understood all this when he was so young, while he never fully understood what Oogway meant, "He defeated Tai Lung because he believed in himself, not because he had some magic scroll." Jai looked at Shifu's face and laughed softly, before walking off to the courtyard to Join Mei Ling and Shen, and leave Shifu to his thoughts.


	5. Chapter 5

Shen was practicing with his mother in the courtyard. He was sending a flurry of attacks her way, and she would block every one while instructing him. He didn't really need much instructing, Jai was his father after all, he could read one of the scrolls and have it perfected in a day if he wanted, even Jai wouldn't be able to keep up with him for long.

Jai walked up to the courtyard, Shen saw him first, "Hey baba. What were you talking to Master Shifu about?" He jumped up and tried to land a roundhouse kick on Mei Ling. She ducked under it.

Jai smiled watching his son and seeing how quickly he was learning the art of Kung Fu, "Shifu wants me to become the new Grand Master."

Mei Ling and Shen both stopped fighting, Mei Ling and Jai had both expected this, but Shen looked at his father with disbelief, "Really," Then the same carefree smile that Jai always wore came to his face, except about twice as big, "That's so cool!" Shen leapt to his father's side and looked up at him with wide eyes, "Does that mean we get to live at the Jade Palace?"

Jai looked down at his son and ruffled the fur on his head, "Yes it does."

"Awesome!" Shen ran off to tell the others the news. He could be sophisticated when he wanted, but he wasn't stupid, and he'd be damned if he was going to miss out on his childhood. He would enjoy every second of it as any other child would.

Mei Ling walked over to her husband as they watched Shen go, "Well I guess that ends his training for the day."

Jai turned to see Mei Ling, "I guess so. How was his training going any way?"

She looked into his red eyes with her bright amber ones, "Have you seen his parents?"

"I take it It's going well then?" He wrapped his arms around her waist and she leaned against his chest.

"Yes it is, but what about you? You're not getting sloppy are you?"

"Me, what about you, have you been practicing lately?"

"Well why don't we see who's been slacking off?"He released her and they both went to opposite ends of the courtyard.

They stood there staring each other down for a moment, then Jai lunged at Mei Ling; if you blinked, you might have missed it. She dodged him with a sidestep to the right. He turned as quickly as she dodged and attempted to hit her with a series of nerve strikes. She gracefully dodged each one with ease and a smile on her face, but that faded when he tripped her with his tail.

She fell off balance; he grabbed her arm and threw her across the courtyard into the stands. He jumped over the shattered pieces of wood and tried to pounce on her before she got up. He was too slow though, and Mei Ling kicked him in the chest while still on the ground before he landed on her.

They both sat up and ran at each other. Each throwing attacks and dodging the others so fast it was difficult to see what was happening. They jumped away from each other breathing heavily. Jai lunged again and Mei Ling noticed a slender bamboo pole next to her. She picked it up and, just as Jai was about to hit her, she dodged him again and then used the pole as a spring to launch herself skyward.

Jai did the same and met her in the air. They both fell fast back to the earth while fighting for dominance in the sky. Jai managed to grab on of Mei Ling's arms and twist it behind her back, and then did the same with the other. He wrapped his tail around her legs and held tight, she could see the ground coming closer.

She struggled to get free to no avail; she was running out of time. She turned her head to see her husband, and quickly pressed their lips together. She kissed him fervently, and could feel his grip loosen. She turned her body to grab his shoulders and flipped them both over breaking the kiss. They hit the ground hard enough to make an impression on the earth. The dust cleared and Mei Ling was on top of Jai breathing heavily and looking down at him.

Jai opened his red eyes to see her, "You really need to teach me that move sometime." He smiled back at her.

Mei Ling purred softly, and with one claw began to trace the muscles on his chest, "Maybe later, if you're a really good boy." She didn't take her eyes away from his, and she spoke in a very seductive tone.

They heard people running towards them and Mei Ling stood next to her husband and helped him back up. Jai was brushing the dirt off his clothes and fur as Shifu, followed by the Five, Po, and Shen, ran to the courtyard.

They looked at the two and then at the small crater they were standing in, in unison they asked, "What happened here?"

Jai finished brushing off as much of the dirt that covered him as he could, "Sorry, I guess we got a little carried away." He turned to Mei Ling, "And that was a cheap shot by the way."

She crossed her arms over her chest, "You didn't seem to mind it."

He stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, "I wasn't complaining." He nuzzled her neck, and she started to purr.

Po and Tigress looked at the two, and then at each other. They intertwined their paws. Shifu noticed them and cleared his throat audibly. The rest of the Five turned first to Shifu, and then to Po and Tigress. Jai and Mei Ling ended their display of affection and saw them as well.

Po and Tigress looked at the faces around them, Viper, Jai, and Mei Ling all looked happy for them, Shifu glared at Po, and the other three just looked stunned. They didn't know what to say.

Viper broke the silence, "That's sweet, I always thought you two looked good together."


	6. Chapter 6

"Viper please calm down. We're not getting married." Viper had been interrogating Tigress on her new relationship with Po all the way back to the bunkhouse and into Tigress' room.

"I know, but you've never really shown much interest in males before, and Po was the last person I expected you to take interest in." She had a point. Tigress was always so focused on Kung Fu she never really thought much about anything else, and never considered the idea of having a relationship with anyone, and even if she never thought much of it she could easily have had any man in China she wanted, and she chose Po. He may have been the Dragon Warrior, but that was only a title; he was still just a big clumsy panda.

Yet he made her feel something that no one else could, "I know, but there's just something about him. I'm not sure how to explain it. When I'm with him, I just feel, happy. Like I'm home, and all my cares just fade away into those jade eyes of his." Tigress started to stare off into her own world for a moment, but the high-pitched squeal from Viper quickly pulled her back, "Viper, where did that come from?"

Viper was almost leaping with joy looking at her friend, "Tigress don't you see? You're in love."

Her eyes widened, "Love, with Po, I don't know about that. I mean he's funny, he always has a smile on, and he's a great cook, but I don't know if would say I love him."

"Come on Tigress did you even listen to yourself talk? '. . . All my cares just seem to fade away into those jade eyes of his.' You're in love with Po and you know it." Viper stared at her friend accusingly.

Tigress couldn't say anything back to her, she was right. She didn't want to admit, but she was in love with Po. She was a successful Kung Fu warrior she couldn't love someone like Po, but she did, no matter how hard she tried to deny it. Viper slithered out of her room to leave Tigress' to her thoughts.

While Viper was interrogating Tigress, Jai and Mei Ling had rescued Po from disembowelment by Shifu.

They were with him in the hall of warriors, "So you and Tigress, I'm surprised. The only time I remember her showing interest in a male was when we were twelve, and Shifu didn't let that last long." Jai recalled the day at the New Year's Festival when Tigress had taken a liking to a young tiger from a nearby village. Shifu had been quick to separate the two; Jai wasn't sure what exactly happened to the tiger.

"I know, who would have thought that she would want someone like me?" Po prodded his large belly.

Jai looked to his wife, "Well our story wasn't exactly love at first sight either."

Mei Ling crossed her arms over her chest, "Far from it. I don't think I have ever hated anyone more than I did you when we first met, but in the end everything worked out." She wrapped her arms around Jai's neck, and he leaned down to kiss her, but Po pushed them apart before their lips could connect.

"Sorry, but I really don't need to see you two getting, romantic."

Mei Ling glared at him, but Jai looked sympathetic, "You know Tigress is probably going to use you as her personal scratching post if you're not careful." Po trembled at the thought, "Maybe she'll only break half your bones, if she's in a good mood. So why don't you go to the bunkhouse and make sure she's in a good mood. I have more, pressing matters, to tend to." Jai looked to his wife again and used his tail to pull her close to him.

Po did as he was instructed and went to the bunkhouse before things went any further. He was outside Tigress' room when he heard her talking to viper. He wanted to just ignore it, but curiosity got the better of him and he listened in on the conversation.

He heard Viper's voice "Tigress don't you see? You're in love."

Love, could she really love him? They had gotten close since Tai Lung's defeat, maybe it was love. He knew that he had been in love with her since he met her, if not sooner, but to have those feelings returned. That was unexpected, and he could never ask for more.

". . . You're in love with Po and you know it." Viper again

Tigress was silent, Po waited expectantly for her response, but none came. Did she really love him? Po walked into the bunkhouse and stopped between the doors to his room and tigress'. He wanted to know if she really loved him, but what if she didn't? If he said anything about it and she, didn't would it ruin their relationship? Po didn't want to take the risk right now; he went into his room and rested on his bed. He lay there staring at the ceiling for several hours. He ran the question through his mind repeatedly that night, until he finally fell asleep, and even then, he heard it in his dreams.

Unbeknownst to him Tigress was feeling the same way, lying on her bed repeating the question in her head. Did she love him? She heard it so many times. Eventually she let herself drift off to sleep. In her dreams she could see Po. All throughout the night he stayed with her, sitting with her under the peach tree watching the sunset. Bathed in the red and orange hues of the fading sun, they sat together. The sun fell slowly underneath the horizon, and she sat cradled in Po's arms, watching the simple and truly beautiful sight. As the last rays of light began to fade she closed her eyes and enjoyed the warmth of his body against hers, protecting her from the cold of night. Tigress whispered something in her sleep. If only Po could've heard those three simple words.

* * *

A/N: Thank you Kippis05 for the kind words on the last chapter. Sorry about the length, but i started another story in addition to this one, so most of the chapters in the near future will probably be rather short, but hopefully still sweet. I'll update faster if it makes you feel better.


	7. Chapter 7

Jai woke as the first sign of light came through his window. He looked next to him at the sleeping form of Mei Ling. The morning light reflected off her soft fur; she looked so peaceful, and beautiful, like a sleeping angel. Jai woke up to that sight every morning, but it never got old. Every morning he looked at her, just as beautiful as she was the last morning. With the early rays of light reflecting of her fur, that beauty seemed to radiate from her body and grace everything it touched.

Their room was connected to the Hall of Warriors; it had a private bathhouse in addition to their sleeping quarters, it was once, master Oogway's.

Shen's room was directly across from it, also connected to the Hall of Warriors; it used to be Jai's room when he trained at the palace under Master Oogway. Shen had a private bathhouse as well, along with a few wooden warriors like the ones in the Training Hall. If Jai couldn't sleep then he would always practice on them when he was a child.

Mei Ling opened her amber eyes to see Jai, "Good morning."

"As long as I can wake up and see you it is." He brushed his paw across her cheek.

She purred and slid out of the bed. She walked over to their private bathhouse and looked back at Jai expectantly. Jai wrapped his arms around her waist and slid open the door.

* * *

Shifu saw to it that the morning gong rang on time. As Grandmaster, this should have been Jai's job now, but Shifu had agreed to keep that duty, and keep things at the palace running smoothly. Jai would rather spend his morning with Mei Ling, and Shifu hadn't really wanted to change his morning routine either. He was getting older and small things like that gave him a job to do, a purpose. His students rarely needed him in training anymore, so he needed something to make himself feel useful, and to kill time. He had an abundance of free time on his hands, and he couldn't spend it all meditating. He would lose his sanity if he didn't have small tasks like getting the gong to ring.

"Good morning Master." Shifu's students greeted him in unison, even Po. It was an odd yet welcome sight, Po was actually awake on time for once.

"Po, I'm glad to see you're awake." Shifu looked over his students.

They had all come a long way since they first arrived. Mantis had nearly gotten himself killed simply because he was impatient, Viper was a snake that couldn't bite, Crane used to be a janitor, Monkey was nothing more than a bully, and Tigress whom he had known since she was only a cub, now a beautiful young woman, and they were all successful Kung Fu masters. Even Po, who was the son of a noodle chef, was shaping up to be a great Dragon Warrior.

The Five left for the kitchen, except Tigress who pulled Po back before he could follow, "Po are you alright? It doesn't look like you got much sleep."

Po was slow to respond, "Huh, oh yeah, I'm fine. Just a lot on my mind again."

"That seems to be happening often lately. You know if you ever want to talk I'm here." She managed a weak smile.

He took her paws into his, "I know you are."

"Po there's something I wanted to ask you." She looked towards the floor and back up at him.

"What would that be?" Po wore a shadow of his usually carefree smile.

"Po, do you-"

She was cut off by Crane's voice, "Are you two coming or what?"

Po let go of her paws and followed Crane to the kitchen, "Yeah we're coming."

Tigress stood there for a moment with her ears flat and head hung low. She sighed and left to follow Po and Crane.

* * *

The day passed without much of interest happening. The Five and Po continued training as usual. Later in the day however, when the sun was starting to set, Tigress sat under the peach tree, watching the spectrum of colors that passed through the sky before her, just as she saw in her dream. it was peaceful, and quite, with only one thing missing. Her ears twitched, she heard the sound of footsteps coming towards her. she looked to see who was coming to the tree and saw Po. She immediately smiled brightly at the panda's approach. "Po, what brings you here?"

"I could ask you the same thing." Po took a seat next to Tigress.

"I was just watching the sunset, and reminiscing a little."

"Reminiscing, well I'd love to hear about that. I don't know all that much about your childhood."

She looked at the ground, "I know I don't talk much about it. Things were nice when Jai was around, but they got pretty rough when he left."

"You two were pretty close."

She looked up at him, "We were, it was a devastating blow when he left. You two are actually a lot alike."

"Us, come on, he's a better Kung Fu master than Tai Lung was, and I'm still just me." He put a hand over his bulging stomach.

She knelt down behind him and wrapped her arms around him."But your both kind, caring, humble, and most importantly you both have the same carefree attitude, and cheerful smile," She rested her head on his shoulder and purred. She circled around him, and sat across his lap. Po cradled her in his arms. She rubbed her head against his neck and came to rest it on his shoulder.

Po looked down at the sight in front of him, the light radiating off her bright orange and black fur, gracing everything that it touched. It was a magnificent sight. She looked simply angelic bathed in the spectrum of light from the setting sun.

They sat together enjoying each other's presence. As the sun faded underneath the horizon and night began to fall. They enjoyed each other's warmth protecting them from the cold, and the bright glow in each other's eyes protecting them from the darkness.

* * *

Jai was perched atop the roof of the training hall. He was observing Tigress and Po.

"What are you doing up here?" He almost jumped off the roof at the sound of Mei Ling's voice.

"I, er, I just, umm," He searched for a response.

"You're spying on Tigress and Po." she said sternly.

"Sort of, I just want to make sure everything works out between them is all. I just want to see her happy."

"Will you try, just once, to mind your own business?"

"Hey, my meddling works out for the better, usually."

Mei Ling softened her voice, "Honey, look at them, they're made for each other. Just let things play out, if it worked for us it's bound to work for them." She let herself fall into Jai's arms. Jai looked down at her, as if considering what she had said. Her voice became hard again, "Okay let me put it this way, you start messing around with their love life and I break your legs, understood?"

"Yes Mei."

"Good, now, are you going to stay out here watching them all night, or are you coming to bed with me."

Jai grinned and lifted her off her feet, he swiftly carried her back to their room and locked the door behind them.

* * *


	8. Chapter 8

_He looked upon his newest student. She had a scowl plastered on her face, but otherwise she was a lovely sight. Her bright amber eyes shone with the light of a raging fire. Her dark brown spotted tail thrashing from side to side. She was obviously irritated at his being here. "So then you're my new student." Jai broke the awkward silence._

"_I am not a student any longer, and you're not my master." Mei Ling had been and instructor at the Li Dai Academy for the last year and she was the best. She didn't need him here, and she certainly didn't need to be demoted to the rank of a student again._

"_There's always more to learn, and I can teach you many things." Jai stood with his usual carefree demeanor, only making Mei Ling more agitated._

"_I have nothing to learn from you." She stared him down, but Jai didn't waver._

"_Really, well why don't we just see about that?" _

_She grew a wide smile and assumed a fighting stance. Jai stood straight with his arms behind his back. She lunged at him, but before she could even see it, he grabbed her arm and twisted it behind her back, "You'll have to move faster than that." _

_She wasn't deterred. She used her free arm to lash out at him. He jumped back and released her. She was quickly back with him throwing everything she knew at him. Putting much power behind her strikes, but he dodged each without breaking a sweat. Mei Ling quickly grew tired. She was expanding a lot of energy on these moves. She fell to the floor on her hands and knees, sweating and breathing laboriously. _

_Jai knelt down in front of her, "So are you ready for me to teach you now?" She looked up at him, still trying to catch her breath. She couldn't speak yet, but the defeated look in her eyes said it all, "Good, we'll start tomorrow."_

Jai woke from his dream to see Mei Ling next to him. He still wasn't sure just how they had gone from such bitter rivalry to this. He did know that ever since that day when he first met her she had grown lovelier with each passing moment. His tail brushed against hers. She opened her eyes slowly. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."

She kissed him and rested her head against his, "I'm just glad I can wake up with you."

He took her in his arms, held her close and kissed her again. They both went to their private bathhouse.

Tigress sat in her room meditating as she did every morning. The sound of the gong brought her up and to the door. "Good morning Master." The Five said in unison. Shifu stalked over to Po's door and awoke him, more gently than usual, as he seemed to be in an unusually good mood today, but still quite forcefully, "Po!"

The panda fell out of his bed again, "Good morning, Master Shifu." He bowed as he shook the blanket from his legs. Tigress and Shifu both rolled their eyes.

"Students," Shifu walked back to the end of the hall, "I want everyone to continue training as usual." They started to move out of the hallway, but Shifu stopped Po, "Except you Po, I'd like to speak with you for a moment."

"Okay sure, what's on your mind?" Po asked anxiously.

He waited till the Five were out of earshot, "It's about Tigress." Po gulped, "Don't worry, as her overprotective father every instinct tells me to eviscerate you, but I won't. Po you're not exactly the person I would hope for my daughter to take an interest in," He looked Po over, "but I haven't seen that gleam in her eye in a long time."

Po relaxed a little, "I just want whatever makes her happy."

"So do I, all I want is to see her happy. While I don't approve of your relationship I have never seen her happier than when she's with you. I do, however, want you to remember that I am still her father, and I'll be watching you like a hawk." He narrowed his eyes at him, "So don't get any ideas."

Po stepped back in fear, "Don't worry Master Shifu. I would never do anything to hurt her."

Shifu smiled slightly, "That's all I wanted to hear. Now join the others in the training hall, and remember that I have my eye on you." Po nervously left the room.

Tigress jumped off the spinning dragons when Po entered the room, "Shifu wasn't too hard on you was he?"

He took her paws into his, "No, in fact he was surprisingly cool about us."

"Really, so he's okay about us being together."

"Well, he doesn't like it, but he's okay with it." She nuzzled her head against his neck and purred again.

"Viper!" Crane flew down and grabbed Viper. He pulled her away from the Field of Flames just as a jet of fire shot up from where she had been. He sat her down off to the side of the training course, "That was a close call. What happened?"

"Oh, I guess I just got a little distracted." She looked back at Po and Tigress, "They look so perfect together."

Crane looked over to the couple, "Yeah I guess they do, hard to believe considering how much they hated each other before, or how much she hated him anyway."

"I know, who would've thought that this pairing could work out, but I don't think I've ever seen her so happy."

"I know, but you should be more careful, wouldn't want to see anything happen to you." He flew back over to the Jade Tortoise.

Viper tore her attention away from Po and Tigress and turned it towards Crane for a moment, then went back to her training, his words in mind. Tigress jumped back over to the swinging clubs, while Po fought with the adversary.

Shen watched as his mother used Jai as a punching bag to demonstrate new techniques to him. Shen practiced alongside her using the air as his opponent. Jai could've easily turned the tables on Mei Ling at any given moment, but he wouldn't. He held back when he fought her, he would never do anything that might hurt her.

She sent him flying back into the large wooden doors of the Jade Palace. He hit hard enough to put a spider web like crack in the thick wood. He pushed himself off the ground and shook off the dirt and wood.

Mei Ling walked to his side, in no hurry, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, but you enjoy this way too much."

"Maybe, but I'll make up for it tonight."

Jai looked back at the gate, "I think that's worth a little extra."

"We'll see." She said teasingly.

Shen jumped between them, "Guys, still here."

Jai walked back to the center of the courtyard, "Alright, let's get back to your training."

"Good,"

Mei Ling took a seat in the stands and let jai take over Shen's training. Shen was so much like his father, and Jai, for all his insight and wisdom, was still a child at heart.

A/N: Thank you again for faithfully reviewing Kippis05, and I assure you that everything that has happened, or will happen, is so for a reason. Even if that reason is may not become clear in the near future. Also if these chapters are a bit too short, sorry, that's how I write, short and sweet (I hope).


	9. Chapter 9

_A stunned Jai lay on the floor underneath the weight of Mei Ling. She was smiling and breathing heavily as she held her opponent to the ground. Jai smiled back at her, "So you were learning something after all. You've come a long way." She looked into his eyes, and for a moment her smile grew wider. Then she let her head fall to Jai's chest, and she fell out of reality. Jai carried her back to her room and sat next to her until she awoke. _

_Mei Ling opened her eyes and saw where she was. She sat up in her bed and looked around the room. She saw Jai next to her, "What happened?"_

"_Good you're awake." Jai seemed carefree as usual, "You passed out, and I brought you back here."_

"_How long have I been here?" She looked to the window in her room. It was getting late, she had obviously been there for the better part of the day._

"_I'm not sure, I lost track of time."_

"_You've been here with me the whole time?" She took her attention away from the window and gave it to Jai._

"_I wanted to see that you were alright before I left."_

"_Thank you, but you didn't have to do that." She tried to stand up and a sharp pain shot through her. She clutched her side and her knees started to buckle._

_Jai caught her as she was about to fall, "Maybe it's a good thing I did. You were pushing yourself pretty hard today." He helped her back into her bed," Let me get someone to tend to your wounds." Jai left to find one of the medical staff members._

_Li Dai had its own medical staff, injuries were common during training. Jai found a female pig to help Mei Ling. She bandaged Mei Ling, and said that she had broken a few ribs, aside from that there were only a few cuts and bruises, but Mei Ling would be out of commission till the bones were healed. _

_For the next few weeks Mei Ling was confined to her room. Jai was with her whenever possible. Always there with words of comfort, and wisdom, always there with a carefree smile, and always there when she needed him._

Mei Ling recalled those memories fondly as she watched Jai training with Shen in the courtyard. She and Jai had gotten very close over those days. If it wasn't for her injuries they may never have ended up together, and they never would have had Shen. Shen ran off and Jai walked to her side. "Where's he going?" she asked.

"The training hall, he wanted to practice with the Five, and the Dragon Warrior for a change."

Mei Ling started to follow Shen, "I still don't want him near the swinging clubs." Jai went with her.

* * *

When they walked through the doors they had to dodge a piece of the swinging clubs as it flew towards them. Tigress jumped from each of the Spinning Dragons, and smashed the clubs along the way. Shen watched her as she did so. Mei Ling looked down at him, "You'll get your chance eventually."

Shen groaned in response. He looked over to Po who was fighting a losing battle against the adversary. He couldn't help but laugh.

Po took notice and walked over to him, "You think it's funny huh? Well let's see what you can do."

Shen stepped up to the adversary. He looked it over for a moment, then kicked it straight up into the air. He jumped up after it and with another kick sent it across the room, and into the wall where it bounced back several feet. Shen stood tall and proud, while Po stood slack jawed.

He walked back over to the panda, "How was that?"

"Awesome! You should show me how to do that." They both ran back over the adversary where Shen instructed Po on what he knew of Kung Fu.

Jai couldn't have been more proud, "Only five and already teaching Kung Fu."

Po struck the adversary and sent it reeling back into the wall. Tigress jumped off the Spinning Dragons and over to Jai, "And doing a good job of it. Po's never hit the adversary that far."

Mei Ling looked at her with curiosity, "Really? I pictured the Dragon Warrior as…well as a warrior. Po isn't exactly the first thing that comes to mind."

"I know, I didn't believe it at first either. I didn't accept that he was the Dragon Warrior until he actually defeated Tai Lung. After you left," she looked to Jai, "I thought that I would be the one to get the scroll, but looking back, I understand Oogway's decision now." She smiled watching the two. Po would forever be a child at heart.

* * *

Later in the day, Po and Tigress were sparring in the courtyard. Tigress was thoroughly pummeling Po. He hit the ground for the hundredth time when Tigress finally decided to quit. She helped Po back to his feet, "I guess I've abused you enough for one day."

"You sure, you haven't even broken anything yet."

"I might use you as a punching bag every now and then, but I'm not that sadistic." They started to walk off when Tigress thought she heard something come from the gate.

It sounded like something scratching at the wooden door. They opened the gate and looked around. There was no one there, but Tigress looked down, and at her feet she saw a Tiger cub. His fur was white, and he looked as though he hadn't eaten in days. His eyes were closed and his breathing labored, his clothes were torn and coated in dirt.

Tigress knelt down and picked him up. He seemed too exhausted to move. His body went limp and his breathing started to slow. He was out cold. Tigress looked up to Po silently begging for guidance.

Po looked at Tigress holding the cub, "We can't leave him here, but do you think Shifu would let him stay here?"

"I don't know, but we have to do something. We'll let him stay in my room tonight. We can talk to Shifu in the morning." Tigress carried the cub to her room and laid him in the bed. The others had already retired to their rooms. She slid the door closed as quietly as she could. That night she shared a bed with Po and let the cub sleep peacefully in hers.


	10. Chapter 10

Tigress was asleep wrapped in Po's arms. She had never slept better than she did that night. Her eyes opened, and for a moment, the bright light blinded her. She had slept much later than she normally did, but she didn't mind. She slid out of the bed careful not to disturb Po. The gong rang and instinctively she raced to the door and greeted her master as she did every day, but she noticed that all eyes were on her and everyone had a stunned expression. She was genuinely confused at first, then she remembered that she was not in her own room. She looked at Po still in bed and back to her friends, once again she didn't know what to say.

Crane broke the awkward silence this time, "Umm, Tigress, what were you doing in Po's room?"

She scowled, "Not what you're thinking I'm sure."

Shifu regained his composure, "Then why were you in his room."

She looked at her door anxiously and sighed, "Master, Po and I need to speak with you."

Shifu was the confused one now, "Very well, everyone else continue training."

Tigress woke Po while Shifu stood in the doorway. Po groggily got out of bed. He noticed Shifu, it took a few moments, but he remembered the cub occupying Tigress' room. He looked to her "Oh, have you mentioned…"

"That's just what I was about to do." she walked over to her door.

"What's this about?" Shifu asked impatiently, yet not really sure he wanted to know. Tigress slid open the door to her room and let Shifu see the cub. He was still fast asleep, not surprising considering the condition he had been in when they found him. Shifu's jaw dropped, "Where did he come from!?"

The cub fidgeted uncomfortably. Tigress but a finger to her lips, "Shhh, Keep your voice down. I don't want to wake him." Shifu looked between Tigress and Po, she only rolled her eyes, "We found him last night."

Shifu appeared somewhat relieved, "What is his name." his voice was softer.

"We don't know; he was in pretty bad shape when we found him."

Po interjected in the conversation, "We were hoping he could stay here."

"I'll allow him to stay until he is in good health. After that, if no one has come to claim him, we can send him to Bao Gu."

"We can't send him to an orphanage." Tigress pleaded, "Why not let him stay with us?"

"Absolutely not." Shifu was careful to keep his voice down.

Jai walked into the hall, "What are you talking about?" He looked into Tigress' room.

"We were hoping to keep this little guy here." Po explained.

"We don't need another mouth to feed." Shifu argued.

Jai didn't share his viewpoint, "Why not, between the palace and myself we have plenty of money to take care of him."

"Money isn't the issue, he's not staying and that's final." No, money was of no issue. The only issue was that Shifu couldn't stand the fact that Tigress wasn't the little girl he remembered, and for her to be a mother, even a foster mother, that was too much for him.

He knelt down and lowered himself to Shifu's height, "Well I say he is, and I am the Grandmaster." Jai smirked.

Shifu's eye twitched a few times in anger. He couldn't argue with Jai, "Fine, but who's going to take care of him?" As if he didn't already know the answer.

"Well I already have Shen to worry about, are you two up for it." Tigress and Po looked at each other, they hadn't considered that. Before they could answer, Jai did it for them, "Good, I'm sure you will do fine." He walked off before anyone could argue. Shifu went off, grumbling and complaining, Po and Tigress stared at each other for a moment, then at the white tiger cub in bed.

* * *

The pair sat in Tigress' room next to the bed waiting for the cub to wake. They sat in silence mulling over their new position. When the cub finally started to open his eyes they were quickly by his side. He tried to sit up with great effort, Tigress assisted him. "Where am I?" His voice was just above a whisper.

Tigress spoke with a soft, and caring tone "You're in the Jade Palace. Can you tell me your name?"

"Zai, my name is Zai." He looked about the room.

"Zai, what happened to you? You're in pretty bad shape"

Zai looked at his tattered clothes, and his stomach begged for food. Po started to open the door, "We should get you something to eat." He made his way to the kitchen.

Zai held his stomach, "My village was raided by bandits. The valley was the closest village to ours, and I thought that I might be safe here." He looked at Tigress with hope in his eyes.

"Zai, do you know where your parents might be?"

He adopted a solemn expression, "No, I don't know where they are, or if they're alive."

Tigress put a comforting paw on his shoulder, "Don't worry, we'll take care of you here." She tried to smile but couldn't.

Po came into the room with a bowl of his noodle soup, "Here, this should make you feel better. Looks like it's been awhile since you ate."

Zai graciously accepted the food. He quickly downed the bowl, "Thank you, I haven't eaten in days." He laid his head down on Tigress' bed weakly.

Po took the bowl, "I'll go get some more. You need to get some strength back." He left again for the kitchen.

Tigress took Zai's paw into hers, "Aside from hunger how do you feel?"

"Tired." He replied dryly.

"I'm not surprised; you were out cold when we found you. You must have traveled a long way."

He closed his eyes.

She moved a hand across the top his head, "Rest now, Po's right, you need to regain your strength."

He opened his eyes again, just slightly, "Po? The Dragon Warrior Po?"

"Yes," She smiled at him for first time.

Zai smiled back as he closed his eyes one more time, "Thank you both again for this, Master Tigress." He closed his eyes, and drifted back to sleep. Tigress' smile grew wider as she looked down at him. She drew the blanket up to his chin. Po came in shortly thereafter with another bowl of noodles. She put a finger to her lips silently telling him to keep quit. He left the bowl on the nightstand next to the bed, and they both slipped out of the room. They left the bunkhouse so they could talk without disturbing him.

* * *

"Did I miss anything while I was gone?" Po asked

"He said his village was attacked by bandits. He also said that his parents are missing, so I guess he'll be staying here for the foreseeable future."

"While he's resting maybe we should talk to Jai for some advice. He does have experience in this field. We need to tell the others about this too, if Shifu didn't already."

"You're right, but for now we should let him rest. Talking to Jai might be a good idea though." They both headed off towards the Hall of Warriors.


	11. Chapter 11

In the Hall of Warriors Po and Tigress found Jai, Shen, and Mei Ling. They were all in the floor laughing, and Shen was climbing on top of Jai. Tigress cleared her throat audibly. The three stopped laughing and stood up.

Tigress was first to speak, "Jai, I'm sorry to interrupt, but we were hoping we could talk to you about our newest resident."

"The cub, of course you can. Did you ever find out his name?"

"Yes, his name is Zai."

"Zai, alright then, what exactly did you wish to discuss about him."

"Well we were hoping you could give some advice." She looked towards Shen, then back up to Jai and Mei Ling, "You two do have more experience in the matter than we do."

Mei Ling stepped forward, "Don't worry, it should come naturally, and we'll be here if you need us."

"But I'm not sure if we're ready for this." Tigress objected.

"Just do what feels right."

"But this is all so sudden."

"You'll be fine, I'm sure Zai is in good hands, though, if you really don't think you're ready for this, I suppose we could take him in."

Tigress sighed, there was no point in arguing with Mei Ling, "No, we'll take care of him, I just hope you're right."

"Good, are the others aware of this, or is it just us?"

Tigress was looking at the floor thinking about her new role. Po answered for her, "Unless Shifu said something it's just us. We wanted to let him rest before we let them see him."

"I'm sure he needs it, but we should at least tell them. Preferably sooner rather than later, I don't want one of them unknowingly stumbling across Zai. That probably wouldn't go over well with either party."

Tigress looked up and nodded in agreement. The group went for the training hall where the rest of the Five would be.

When they stepped through the wooden doors Crane was the first to notice. He swiftly flew over to them, "Tigress, Po, what kept you." This drew the attention of the others.

Tigress looked at him quizzically, "So Shifu hasn't told you yet?"

"Told us what?" Monkey swung off one of the swinging clubs with Mantis on his shoulder, while Viper slithered over to them.

"About Zai."

Viper tasted the air with her forked tongue, "Who's Zai?"

Tigress seemed distant and distressed. Po spoke for her, "We found him at the gate last night. He's a white tiger not much older than Shen." Shen brightened at the aspect of having someone his own age at the palace.

Viper appeared as distressed as Tigress, "What do you mean you found him. Is he alright?"

"Don't worry, he was in pretty bad shape when we found him, but he should be fine in time. He's resting now; we'll introduce you all to him when he wakes up."

"Speaking of which," Tigress came back into the conversation, "I want to be with him when he wakes up." She turned and started to head out the door again, "I'll be with him in my room if anyone needs me."

"I'll be with her." Po followed behind Tigress. He caught up with her quickly, she looked as though her mind was somewhere else, "Hey, are you alright?"

"Huh? Oh, yes I'm fine." She stared at the ground

"You sure? There something on your mind?" Po lowered his head to meet her gaze.

She looked up at him, "It's just that…if Zai is going to stay here, that means we have to take care of him. I just don't know if I'm prepared to be a parent or not."

He stopped and put his paws on her shoulders, "Hey don't worry, I'm sure we'll be fine, and Zai will have a good home with us. Besides we still have Jai and Mei Ling if we ever need them."

She brightened a little, "You really think we can do this?"

"I know we can." She finally let herself smile and she hugged Po tightly. She looked up at him as they held each other close. She moved a hand up his chest and around his neck, and pulled him closer. She pressed their lips together, lightly at first, then more passionately. They stayed like that for a long time, and in that moment, Tigress felt pure bliss, like nothing else existed, there was only her, and the one she loved. When they broke away Tigress laid her head against Po's chest. Caressing his soft fur with her own. That was her first kiss

Paw in paw they went back to Tigress' room together, Tigress glowing more radiantly and beautifully than ever before.

In her room they sat next to the bed, Tigress resting her head against Po's shoulder, and Po resting his on the wall. It was several hours later when Zai finally awoke. Tigress and Po drifted off to sleep themselves long before then. Zai opened his eyes to the afternoon light. He looked to his side and couldn't help but smile. The pair he saw before him looked so peaceful, so happy, so perfect. While he was still young, and might not have the insightful mind of Shen or Jai, he could clearly see how much they loved each other. He also saw the bowl on the nightstand beside them. It had long gone cold but he ate it with immense satisfaction nonetheless. He climbed out of the bed, making sure to straighten it out once again, and make it look presentable. In the process he bumped into Tigress waking her up, "Sorry, didn't mean to wake you."

"I didn't mean to fall asleep. We were waiting for you to get up. We wanted to introduce you to the rest of the palace residents." She nudged Po to awaken him.

"Really? I still can't believe I'm even here. I heard a lot of stories about the Furious Five, and the Jade Palace, but I never thought I'd see either, and I certainly didn't think I would actually be staying in the Jade Palace."

"Same here," Po yawned, "but look at me, I ended up being the Dragon Warrior."

Zai stared at Po for a moment, "No offense Po, but you're not exactly what I expected the Dragon Warrior to be."

"None taken, I didn't believe that I was the Dragon Warrior myself until my fight with Tai Lung."

"What was the fight like? You have to tell me about it!" Zai smiled wide.

Tigress laughed softly, "There'll be time for that later. Right now I'm sure the others would like to meet you." She stood with Po and led Zai to search for the others. They found them in the kitchen, it was late in the afternoon, and everyone else had just finished dinner. They were still talking amongst themselves when the three arrived. Jai, and Mei Ling were there as well. Shen wasn't with them though. Tigress once again cleared her throat to get everyone's attention. They turned their attention towards her, "Everyone I'd like you to meet Zai." She motioned towards him.

Zai bowed deeply, "It's an honor to meet you all."

Viper crawled over to him, "Oh no need to be so formal. I'm Viper, this is Monkey, Mantis, and Crane,"

"I know, the Furious Five are known well across all of China. I've heard many stories about you."

"Well then let me introduce you to some you may not know." She led him across the table to the end of the kitchen, "This is Jai, and Mei Ling."

Zai looked curious, "Jai? Actually, I think my grandfather told me something about you. About you mastering the thousand scrolls at such a young age."

Jai smiled with pride seeing that his accomplishment wasn't forgotten, "I was thirteen."

Mei Ling rolled her eyes, "I thought the mark of a true warrior was humility." Jai didn't let the proud smile leave his face.

"Where's Shen?" Viper asked excitedly, "I'm sure Zai here would love to meet him."

Mei Ling looked down at the white tiger, "And I'm sure he would love to meet Zai. I'm not sure where he ran off to though."

"He's in the training hall." Everyone turned to see Shifu standing in the doorway

"Oh good, come on I want you to meet Shen." Viper pulled Zai out of the kitchen with Po and the Five, except Tigress, in tow.

"Master Shifu," Tigress looked a little nervous, "There's something else I wanted to ask of you."

"Oh, and what would that be?"

"Well Zai needs a room, so I thought he could have mine, and maybe I could, share Po's."

Shifu spoke in an even yet forceful tone, "Not a chance."

"But Master, it's not like anything would happen, and I don't think I've ever slept better than I did last night."

Shifu scowled. He could handle his daughter's relationship with the Dragon Warrior, but he was still her very overprotective father, and having them share a bed, that was pushing it.

Seeing that he wouldn't waver she turned to Jai. He frowned, "Sorry, but I'm leaving this in Shifu's hands." Now Mei Ling was scowling at him, while Shifu looked triumphant.

Shifu walked away, leaving the three alone. Tigress looked angry, "Since when do you agree with Shifu." She glared at Jai.

"I don't, but since he is our father it seems like this should be between the two of you."

Mei Ling smiled and put her paws on Jai shoulders, "But you could at least talk to him couldn't you?" She spoke in a soft sweet tone, but when Jai said nothing she dug her claws into his shoulders and pulled him down to her height, "Couldn't you?" her tone more forceful.

Jai's voice was high with pain, "You know on second thought maybe I will talk to him." He cringed, then Mei Ling retracted her claws and let him go. The holes in his shirt were red with blood. Rubbing his sore shoulders, he followed Shifu. Tigress looked over her shoulder at Mei Ling, who smiled proudly. Tigress smiled back, and then they both went to find Shen and Zai.


	12. Chapter 12

Jai caught up with Shifu outside the dormitories, "Shifu,"

He turned to see Jai, "What is it?"

Jai walked along side him, "I came to talk to you about letting Po and Tigress share a room."

"I thought that decision was mine."

"it is, that's why I'm talking to you about it. Why not let them share a room."

Shifu mumbled something under his breath, "Because I don't like the idea of him getting so close to my daughter."

"Shifu we're all grown up now. it's time to let go of the little girl that you met at Bao Gu. Besides, it's not like you've been much of a father before, why start now."

Shifu stopped dead in his tracks. His body shook with anger as he looked at Jai. Jai wiped away the smirk on his face before he turned back to Shifu. "What is that supposed to mean." Shifu did his best to keep a calm voice, "I loved you both as if you were my own children!"

"Then why did you never say it?"

Shifu stopped shaking and looked back at Jai curiously, "What do you mean?"

Jai knelt down so he was closer to Shifu, "I mean what I say. You've never once told either of us that you loved us, or were proud of us. I got that from Oogway, but Tigress didn't have that. All she had was you, and you weren't the one that said you loved her, you weren't the one who wiped away her tears, and you weren't the one who picked her up when she fell. I was, and now Po is. How long has it been since she had that gleam in her eye? How long has it been since she smiled like that? How long has it been since she was, happy?"

Shifu stared at the ground for a moment contemplating Jai's words. Then he spoke, "She hasn't looked like that since you left."

"Exactly, if you won't say that you love her, if you won't pick her up when she falls, if you won't wipe away her tears, then someone else has to, once that was me, and now it's Po."

A tear fell from Shifu's eye, "You're right. I've never been there for her, never given her support or encouragement, and she isn't the little girl I once knew. It's too late to make amends."

Jai put a hand on Shifu's shoulder, "It's never too late." Shifu looked up at Jai, "She needs to hear the words that you've denied her for so long."

Shifu took a deep breath, "You're right."

"Good, go talk to her."

Together they walked to the training hall. Along the way they found Zai, Shen and Mei Ling in the courtyard. Shen and Zai were playing and laughing, while Mei Ling stood back and watched them. She noticed Jai and jumped over to him and Shifu in one fluid motion.

Jai watched the two cubs in the courtyard together, "Looks like they became fast friends."

Mei Ling looked back at them, "They did, they've been getting along quite well."

Shifu spoke up "Mei Ling, can you tell me where Tigress is?"

"I think she's at the peach tree with Po."

"I see, thank you." Shifu went off the Sacred Peach Tree.

"Did you get him to change his mind?"

"Yes I did, and you're welcome." Jai massaged his shoulders again.

"Don't worry, I'll make it up to you later." Mei Ling purred.

Jai wrapped his arms around her waist, "Do we have to wait till later?"

She looked to Shen and Zai, still playing and laughing together, then back to Jai, "Patience is a virtue. Besides," her voice got softer, "I'll make it worth the wait."

Jai grinned wide and released her. He stood by her as they watched the two cubs together.

* * *

When Shifu reached the peach tree, he found Tigress and Po just as Mei Ling said. They were standing under the tree, with Po's arms wrapped around Tigress' body, and hers wrapped his neck. Shifu walked up closer to them and saw they were in the middle of another fervent kiss. He wanted to murder Po at first, then he forced himself to calm down. _She's not your little girl anymore Shifu._ With that in mind he took a few calming breaths and then spoke, "Tigress." It took a moment for them to register who just spoke, when they did they were quick to pull away from one another. They stared at their master in shock, neither knowing what to say. "May I speak with you for a moment?" Shifu finished his sentence. Tigress silently obeyed and followed her master away from the tree. When they were out of earshot of Po they stopped. "Tigress,"

"Master I know what-" Shifu held up a hand to silence her.

"Tigress, I don't want to talk to you about Po." She looked puzzled, but didn't object, "I wanted to apologize."

"Apologize, for what Master?"

"For everything I've put you through. I talked to Jai, he told me about how much I've hurt you. I've never told you have I."

"Told me what?"

"That I love you." He looked up at a stunned Tigress, "That I'm proud of you." He saw tears begin to form in her eyes, "I've never been there to pick you when you fell, I've been a terrible father. I do love you, can you forgive me for all that I've done." The tears began to fall

She scowled at her father, and let out a deep growl, "Do you know how long I waited to hear you say that." The tears fell more rapidly, "How long I thought that you hated me." Now Shifu had tears form in his eyes, "How many times Jai had to come and wipe away the tears that I shed, just waiting for you to say those three words." Both Tigress and Shifu were crying.

"I-I am sorry." Shifu had trouble speaking, "I, understand, if you can't forgive me, but I love you Tigress, and I am proud of you."

Tigress stared at him for a long moment, Shifu was disheartened, he started to turn away, then she fell to the ground and took him into a tight embrace, "Baba." Tears rained down from their eyes. They stayed together for a very long time, soaking each other's clothing.

They broke away, "OH, and you can share a room with Po if you would like" Shifu offered.

Tigress nodded, "Thank you."

Shifu nodded and walked off, wiping the remaining tears from his eyes.

Po came down from the peach tree. She looked over her shoulder at him. He saw the fur beneath her eyes was wet, "Tigress, are you alright?"

She stood and turned to him, wiping her eyes dry, "Yes Po, I'm fine." She sniffled.

"Why are you crying?" He took her into her arms.

"Because I'm happy. If you want, Shifu said we could share a room."

"Really? How'd you convince him to do that?"

"Jai helped, so, would you like to have a room together"

He leaned down and pecked her lips, "I'd love to."

She smiled as a sense of overwhelming joy crept over her. She looked out to the horizon. She sun was starting to set, "It's getting late, we should find Zai."

"He's in your room." Mei Ling and Jai came up behind Tigress, "He and Shen wore each other out today. We got them both too bed."

"I take it they had a fun day together."

"They did, I think they'll be spending a lot of time together in the future."

"Thank you for keeping an eye on them today."

"Anytime, I'm just glad to see Shen with someone his own age. He doesn't often have the opportunity to be with other children."

"And I'm glad Zai has a friend while he's here. I can't imagine what he's been through." She looked back at the setting sun, "Well, we should probably turn in for the night too." Tigress and Po went back to the dormitories. Mei Ling and Jai shared a glance, then raced back to their private room.


	13. Chapter 13

Mei Ling stirred from her sleep as the rays of the sun hit her eyes. The light was bright and stung her eyes at first. It was almost noon, and she was still in bed, resting her head against Jai's chest with his arm wrapped around her body. She stroked his tail with her own. Slowly he began to rise. He wrapped his tail around hers, and looked into her eyes. They had slept in after their long night together. He looked out the window. Jai sighed, and reluctantly released Mei Ling and got out of the bed. He began to get dressed; there was no time for him to bathe.

Mei Ling pressed her ears flat against her head and sat up in bed, "Can't the village wait a little longer." She groaned.

Jai, now fully dressed, walked back to the bed and gave her one last kiss, "Sorry, but I still have a job to do as Grand Master, and I've put it off too long as is." With that, he was off to the main office.

She watched him go. She didn't like being away from Jai. The only time she didn't mind was when she was with Shen, and that was because he was so much like his father. They had spent six years together, but no matter how much time they spent together, or how many times they kissed, it never got old, and they never regretted a moment of it. She knew the village was in good hands with him though. Jai was wise well beyond his years, as was Shen.

She remembered when they first met, how much she hated him. Now she couldn't stand to be away from him. Ironic that she should have a loving relationship, and a happy family, with the one she considered to be her worst enemy. The one she felt had robbed her of all she had worked for by demoting her back to the rank of a lowly student. Now he had given her everything she could possibly want and more. She smiled at the thought, and then went to their bathhouse.

It was nice to have the time every morning where she could let the warm water relax and soothe her tired muscles. Kung Fu, in combination with her duties as a parent, took its toll on her body. She needed a way to relax her muscles, and the water was perfect. Bathing was a luxury that they didn't always have in their travels.

Jai had ended most of his own travels when he met Mei Ling, but their skills were often demanded across China, whether as teachers or defenders. They would have loved to be there when Tai Lung came, but they had been in the imperial city. They had settled down there when Shen was born. The imperial city is a fair distance from the Valley of Peace, by the time they heard of Tai Lung's escape it was too late.

Jai wasn't fond of the idea of living in the Imperial City, he wanted Shen to have a more humble upbringing, but the emperor insisted they stay. They had gotten to know the emperor and empress quite well. Jai had been the one to introduce Mei Ling to them. Apparently, they were old friends. Mei Ling had been so nervous when she first met him, but the emperor was a humble man. He was fair and just, not letting the riches or power corrupt him. He didn't like to be treated any different than any other man would be. The empress was a kind woman as well, she and Mei Ling became the best of friends in no time at all.

Tigress awoke long before the sound of the gong. She felt the warmth of Po's chest on her back, and his arm wrapped around her. She didn't want to move, but she didn't have a choice. She slipped out of Po's embrace and opened the door to their room. She closed it as quietly as she could. Tigress slid open the door to her room slowly, not wanting to wake Zai, but she found he was already awake. She opened t he door the rest of the way and stepped in, "Zai, what are you doing up so early?" she closed the door behind her.

Zai, who had just made the bed, turned to see her, "I'm used to getting up early. It's what I've always done."

"Really?" She sat down on the bed, "Why don't you tell me more about where you came from. I feel like I should know more about you."

He took a seat next to her and relayed his story, "Well, we were farmers. We lived on the edge of a small town. It's a few days from here. When the bandits came, we were in the market…

_It was midday and the sun was high. Zai and his father were in the village market together. They were only there to buy the food that they couldn't grow. Just a normal day, but for some reason, and even with the shining sun, Zai felt a chill run down his spine. If only he knew what was to come. A small group came upon the village, all wore dark hooded cloaks. There were four of them. They moved through the village silently, their faces concealed behind the hood of their cloaks. One of them tried to steal something from a merchant. Zai didn't see what it was, but the merchant, who was a rather burly bull, took hold of the thief._

"_I hope you intend to pay for that." He snorted with an intimidating glare._

_The thief didn't answer, instead he responded by grabbing the bull's arm and throwing him over his head. He hit hard against an adjacent building. The villagers only stood in shock, all eyes on the newcomers to the village. The one that had thrown the bull stood his ground, as the others encompassed the village market. The thief walked up to the bull, who struggled to rise from the ground, he lifted him up by the throat. He was much smaller than the bull, but seemed to carry him with little effort._

_Zai could see his orange and black striped arm. He produced a dagger from the inside of his cloak, Zai wondered why no one would dare try to help the bull. The crowd only gasped in horror as he pulled the dagger out. He dropped the bull to the ground once more. The merchant tried desperately to breathe again. The hooded figure stood next to him, he reached down and wrapped the dagger around his neck. As it cut through the bull's flesh the crowd tried futilely to run, the other hooded figures stood in their path. All of them were Kung Fu masters. _

_They killed anyone who got in their way, and they took what they wanted. Zai couldn't see much, the crowd was panicking, trying to get free. Something hit him in the back of the head, probably one of the panicked villagers. He couldn't find out, because it hit him hard. It was heavy, his vision blurred and he fell to the ground. Then all he saw was black. It's nothing short of miraculous that he wasn't trampled to death by the villagers._

"And when I woke up, I was alone, the entire village was deserted. I didn't know where to go." Zai stared at the floor with a solemn expression while Tigress sat and listened to his story.

She leaned down and wrapped Zai in her arms. He returned the gesture, and she kissed him on the top of his head, "Your safe now." was all she could say. She felt tears well up in her eyes, but pushed them back.

The gong rang, but she didn't let go of Zai. She stroked the fur on his head and rocked back and forth on the bed. Shifu threw open the door and saw the two. Normally he would've reprimanded Tigress for failing to be up and ready at the sound of the gong, but he decided to forgive her, just this once.


	14. Chapter 14

He stared out at the last bridge that made the Thread of Hope. He concealed his face behind a dark hooded cloak, as did the others. The bridge before him was all that stood between him and the Valley of Peace, the home of the Jade Palace, and all its residents. The Furious Five, Dragon Warrior, and Master Shifu, defeating them would be no small task, but not insurmountable. He had his own Furious Five to back him up.

"Not much further now." A feminine voice said from behind him.

"Yes, we're so close. Soon all of China will bow before us." _Us_ he thought humorously _what a joke_, like he would really share any of his spoils with them. They would kneel before him just as all others would. The greatest warriors in China would fall before his might, and he would have the secret to ultimate power. He removed his hood and narrowed his eyes at the bright light. His face revealed one could see that he was a red wolf. As the name of his species implied, he had a smooth reddish coat, with a silver-grey forehead, darker marks on white legs and a cream-colored chest.

The female that had spoken before didn't wear the dark cloak that the others did. She was one of three that had to forgo any form of clothing. She was a well respected member of their group. A bald eagle from across the ocean, and a rather intimidating one with a seven foot wingspan. The others were an Indian cobra with a ferocious bite, which he had no problems using, and a black widow who's small stature only made her more lethal.

The other two that stood behind their leader removed their hoods as well. A tiger with and evil smile etched into his face, and a gorilla who was much faster and more nimble than his size suggested, and his personal favorite, an attractive female grey wolf. Each one was trained in several styles of Kung Fu, and all were very lethal. He had trained them personally. The Furious Five may have been better trained as a team, but individually they would fall.

Two arms wrapped around his neck from behind, "Lang, we almost have it." It was his favorite grey wolf.

"And when we do I'll rule with you by my side, Tian." In their minds, both laughed derisively, and had the same thought, _You really think I'm letting you have the secret to ultimate power_.

"Lin," he spoke to the eagle, "Fly ahead and size up the enemy, and take Zhi with you" She nodded and let the black widow secure herself to her leg, then she was off, soaring with the clouds. He often envied her for it. He watched her go, then started across the bridge. The others followed shortly after. Once safely on the other side they started to make up their camp, the largest amongst them sighing with relief, he was the one that was stuck with carrying most of the equipment.

The gorilla dropped what was on his back, he carried the rather heavy equipment used to cook their meals, "How come I get stuck with carrying all this junk."

"Because Ando, what you lack in brains you make up for in brute strength." The Tiger replied

"Shut up Hiro, I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed I admit, but I'm not stupid." He glared at Hiro, who sent the same glare back at him.

"Both of you shut up." The snake displayed his fangs, "You two are always fighting."

Hiro directed his attention towards the snake, he saw the sun glisten off of a single drop of venom on his fangs, "Mohinder it's not my fault he has a brain the size of a-" He stopped when Mohinder lunged at him, he barely dodged in time, "alright alright, we'll play nice."

Mohinder smirked and went off to search for a place where he could sleep when night fell.  


* * *

Meanwhile Lin and Zhi were high above the Jade Palace, Zhi holding tight to a small amount of webbing on Lin's leg. Looking down they could see the Five, Dragon Warrior and Master Shifu in the courtyard, but what intrigued them was what, or rather who, they were watching. Two felines, that neither the eagle nor the black widow could recognize, were sparring in the courtyard. Whoever they were, they were very skilled. Lin landed outside the Palace walls in a tree. Zhi climbed off her leg and she took off again. Zhi was small enough to get in close without being noticed. She climbed up and over the Jade Palace wall and hid in the stands. She was just close enough to hear what was being said. Though, at the moment, all that was to be heard was the sound of the two felines panting. Now that she was closer she could see that one was female, and one male. She could also see the female was a brown spotted mountain cat, and the male appeared to be some kind of black and white tiger. The male was panting heavily, obviously exhausted, whereas the female appeared tired, but still ready for more.

Mei Ling and Jai were sparring in the courtyard while the Five Shifu and Po watched in awe. They had put on an impressive show, but they had been going at it for the better part of the day, and they were getting tired, especially Jai. Jai put more power behind his strikes; therefore, they took much more energy. Shifu looked at the pair and spoke up, "That should suffice for today, you two look like you could use a break. Thank you for giving us such an impressive demonstration, of what two masters of the Thousand Scrolls can do."

_Masters of the thousand scrolls_, Zhi thought, _This changes things. We weren't expecting a master of the thousand scrolls, and certainly not two! _Then she saw someone she hadn't before. A tiger cub, who ran into the waiting arms of the black and white tiger. She looked between the three of them, _Oh they have a son do they._ _Well that could come in handy.

* * *

_

A/N: A little bit about the characters names, Lang means wolf, Tian=goddess, Zhi=spider, Ando, Hiro, and Mohinder are all taken from Heroes, and Lin just sounds pretty, oh so pretty. Also, sorry about the short length again, but really I'm updating as fast as you guys review. What more do you want?


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: I'm back

* * *

Lin and Zhi met up outside of the Palace walls. "So did you hear anything?" Lin asked

"Well, those two that we saw in the courtyard are have both mastered the Thousand Scrolls."

"But I though only Tai Lung had managed that."

"Apparently he was just the first to do it. Also there was a cub who seems to be their son."

"Really, I saw another cub with Master Tigress and the Dragon Warrior."

"Do you think it was theirs?"

"I don't know, could be adopted."

"Well either way we can use them. Maybe if we get our hands on one of the cubs we can use them to get the scroll."

"Maybe, we should get back to Lang. Let him decide our next move."

Zhi agreed and secured herself to Lin's leg once more. She took flight and headed back towards the camp.

* * *

Once there they found Lang in his tent with Tian. He was angered at being disturbed at first, but became more interested as to what they had discovered as they relayed their story.

"Two masters of the Thousand Scrolls, well you may be right about the cubs, we could use them." He looked at the ground in thought, then smiled and looked back up, "Maybe we can lure the Five and Shifu away from the palace."

Lin tilted her head, "How can we do that?"

"We'll let them know we're coming."

"What?" Lin and Zhi asked together.

Lang took a scroll from his desk and started to write, "Well if he hears that a group of bandits is coming towards the valley Shifu will have to act." He stopped writing and gave the scroll to Lin. She took it into her talons, "Take this to Shifu, tell him you're from a nearby village and that you need his assistance and that of the Five."

Lin bowed and had Zhi secure the scroll to her leg so that she could fly unimpeded. Then she was off again to the Jade Palace.

* * *

Shifu was walking across the courtyard to the training hall when he heard Lin's screech. She dove down with her wings tucked close to her body, and brought herself to an abrupt stop as she was about to hit the ground, and into a graceful landing.

"Master Shifu," She bowed

Shifu was a bit stunned by the sudden entrance, "Can I help you?"

"Yes you can, you and the Five, we need your help." She tore the scroll from her leg and gave it to Shifu, "A group of bandits, they raided our village and they're headed this way." She pleaded

Shifu read the scroll and looked back at Lin, "You say they're coming this way?"

"Yes," She nodded, "I saw them at the Thread of Hope. If you hurry you can catch them there."

"Thank you for this information, I'll take care of things."

She bowed again, and watched as Shifu walked away to find his students.

The residents of the Jade palace were gathered in the kitchen. They spoke amongst themselves as Shifu walked into the room.

"Students," he said with just enough authority to call their attention, "we have a new mission"

The Five groaned. "What is it this time Master?" Tigress held Zai on her lap.

"A group of bandits is headed this way, we need to stop them before they reach the village."

"Master," Crane spoke, "does this really require our attention, couldn't we just send some soldiers?"

"I'm afraid not. According to this," he held out the scroll, "they are well trained in Kung Fu."

Tigress sighed and moved Zai to the floor, "So how are we going to stop them?"

"We cannot let them get into the village, so we will intercept them at the Thread of Hope."

Viper's forked tongue cut through the air "When do we leave Master?"

"Immediately," The Five groaned again, but stood from their seats none the less. Po started to follow, but Shifu held up a hand, "I'm afraid you won't be joining us Dragon Warrior. We need to move as quickly as possible."

"Oh, right," He cast a glance at Tigress, "I'll be here when you get back then." He mustered a reassuring smile for her."

The six of them went down the hallway, leaving the five other residents. Po sighed as he watched Tigress go.

Jai focused on Po, he found it odd that his sister would take an interest in one such as he, but he had never seen her so happy, not even when she first arrived at the palace did she have that gleam in her eyes, or that spring in her step. The others may not have seen the same difference, but he knew her better than that.

Obviously, anyone could see how much she had changed since she found Po, and how much happier she seemed, but Jai saw more than that. Something about her had changed thanks to Po. She truly loved him, even if neither cared to admit it just yet. Mei Ling was right; they were made for each other.

Po didn't take his eyes off her as she left. He wanted to go with them desperately, he had a bad feeling about this mission. Something just felt, ominous, but what could go wrong. It was a routine mission for her. Nothing out of the ordinary.

He turned to the others, "So, what do you guys want to do now?"

Zai spoke up, "You guys think I, might be able to learn Kung Fu."

They turned to Zai, "Sure," Mei Ling said, "I mean, if you really want to."

"I do! I couldn't do anything to stop the bandits the first time, I want to be ready if they come back."

"Well then, why not let Shen teach you. It'll be good for you both."

The cubs looked at each other and smiled. Then ran off to the training hall together. Mei Ling followed along with Jai. Po shrugged and followed them, there wasn't much else to do, so he might as well get some training in.

In the training hall Shen was using the adversary to instruct Zai. Po stood back and watched with Jai and Mei Ling.

"Shen's a pretty good teacher."

Mei Ling rested her head against Jai's shoulder, "He gets it from his father."

Jai wrapped an arm around her, "Don't sell yourself short, he has your genes too."

She closed her eyes; it wasn't long before she fell asleep.

Jai took Mei Ling into his arms and lifted her off the ground. He led Shen back to the Hall of Warriors as Po led Zai back to the bunkhouse. He lay her down on the bed.

He didn't know how she did it. How she managed to grow more radiant every time he saw her. He kissed her forehead. She purred but didn't stir.

He crawled into bed next to her and wrapped an arm around her protectively, basking in her beauty, savoring the soft feel of her fur, feeding off the warmth from her body, and inhaling her sweet fragrance. It brought him such peace to be with her.

Po tossed and turned in his bed, he was growing accustomed to having the warmth of another next to him. He missed her already, her radiant beauty, her sweet fragrance, her soft fur. It was a restless night for Po.

* * *

And for Tigress as well, she already missed having Po's arms wrapped protectively around her. She missed waking up and raking her claws through the fur on his arm. She missed feeling his warm breath against her neck. She missed him.

She wanted to be with him. Every moment she was away from him was agonizing, but she could see him in her dreams still.

Under the peach tree, at the Pool of Sacred Tears, during the sunset, at the sunrise, she could see him, and always she was there by his side. Wherever she stood he was there, right there with him. He was there to break her fall, and to pick her back up. She loved him so much.

She felt at peace with him. Her consolation was that he would be there when she got back to the palace, there waiting, with a carefree smile as usual, and when she got there she would kiss him and tell him how much she loved him, and in that moment everything would be right.

* * *

A/N: This chapter could've been better, maybe I'll rewrite it later, maybe. Still though, I'm back to the story, and that's what matters. I'll try not to dissapoint you, or more importantly myself, in the future


	16. Chapter 16

It was late in the afternoon of the next day when Shifu and the Five made it to the bandits' camp. The Five looked about the camp, it seemed deserted.

"Where could they have gone?" Tigress asked, "They would have had to go by us to get to the valley."

Shifu scanned the tree line, "Students, we are not alone."

A deep and commanding voice came from the trees, "Good eye Shifu, but I would expect nothing less from the greatest Kung Fu teacher in all of China."

As one seven figures stepped into view. Four of them were garbed in dark hooded cloaks. One removed the hood of his cloak, a red wolf, the others followed suit.

Lang motioned towards Tian, she understood. She bowed and hurriedly left the scene. The Five prepared to give chase, but the others blocked their path. They stared each other down.

Zhi eyed Mantis, "Mmm, you look good enough to eat." She flashed her fangs. Mantis took a fighting stance.

Hiro and Mohinder took an instant liking to their counterparts.

Lang smiled derisively as Shifu narrowed his eyes.

Crane spread his wings and took flight; Lin did the same, as the others launched forward.

* * *

Tigress woke inside a small tent. She was lying on the ground. She sat up, resting on top of her legs. She looked around, just a bed, no personal items, or the like. Her hands were bound behind her back, as were her feet.

She remembered what had happened. She had launched at Hiro, as he did the same towards her. It was an ignominious defeat. She sent everything she knew at him, but he blocked every attack. He was faster than her, and much stronger. She couldn't get a hit on him. She was using a lot of energy, and grew tired. She got sloppy, and slow. He tripped her with his tail, and finished the fight with a nerve strike.

Hiro stalked into the tent, "Master Tigress, you're awake." She snarled at him. He chuckled, "I'm sorry for the way we had to meet, but I'm sure in time you'll come t forgive me," he knelt down so he was at her level, and his voice lowered, "maybe even love me." He stroked her cheek.

She pulled away from him, "Go, directly, to hell, do not pass go do not collect two hundred dollars." She smirked.

He held her head in a paw, gently, but firmly enough so that she couldn't look away. He leaned in closer to her, "Now I'm sure you don't mean that." She tried to pull away, but he moved his other hand around her neck and held her head in place, "You do have your friends to think about after all." He pressed his lips to hers; it wasn't like when she kissed Po. That kiss had been soft, and felt wonderful, this was rough and miserable, Po's lips had caressed hers gently, Hiro's lips slammed hard against hers.

He forced his tongue into her maw. She almost gagged as the course appendage explored every inch of her muzzle. She struggled furiously against her bindings. Her eyes became wet, but she held it back. She wouldn't give him the pleasure of seeing her tears. For what felt like an eternity, he kept his lips against hers.

As he broke away she felt the tears fall, and both gasped for breath, "You bastard!" she said between breaths, "I'll kill you if you hurt them."

"I have no intention of hurting them," with his thumb he wiped her cheeks dry, "but I don't know if I can say the same of the others, though I may be able to keep them safe in exchange for your, cooperation."

She looked at the ground, and stopped struggling against the bindings. Hiro smiled and leaned in to kiss her again, she went limp as his lips met hers for a second time. He broke away sooner this time, but Tigress still felt the warm liquid run down her cheeks. Hiro went back outside the tent with a wicked grin. Tigress continued to stare at the ground. She didn't know what to do, she couldn't let harm come to her friends, but she couldn't let him have his way either. She wished Jai were here. Jai had always known what to do. Jai had always been there to protect her. She thought of Po, and of Zai. She hoped and prayed that they were safe.

* * *

Crane opened his eyes. He was inside a tent. What had happened? He held his head. He tried to push himself up with the other wing, but a sharp pain shot through him. He looked at the wing and found it wrapped in white bandages. Oh yes, he remembered now. He remembered falling fast from the sky when the eagle had broken his wing. He remembered that something had caught him before he hit the ground, and he remembered hitting his head on a tree branch. It must have been what knocked him out.

Lin came into the tent and saw him lying on the ground with a wing over his head, "How are you feeling?"

Crane moved his wing to see her. He quickly pushed himself up and tried to assume a fighting stance, but the same sharp pain shot through him. He held the offending limb.

"Be careful, I don't want that wing to get any worse than it already is."

"What? You're the one that broke it." He snapped. "And you nearly killed me."

"I saved you though, and I couldn't just let you go."

"Why not? What are you here for?"

"Lang wants the Dragon Scroll."

"And what about you?"

"I'm getting paid well for this."

"So you're a mercenary. If that's true, then why didn't you let me die?"

She seemed somewhat shocked by the insinuation, "I'm no murderer, a thief yes, but I've never actually killed anyone."

"A mercenary with a heart, never thought I'd see that. What about the others, where are they."

"Well I think Hiro and Mohinder have taken a liking to Master Viper and Master Tigress, can't say I know what's become of your other friends."

"What do you mean? What's happened to them?! I kill them if they hurt my friends." He rushed toward the front of the tent, but Lin blocked his bath.

"You, are not going anywhere. I'm not letting you get hurt any worse."

Crane recoiled, there was no way he could fight her with a broken wing. He couldn't fight her when he was at his best. All he could do was hope and pray that they were alright.

He sat back down on the ground. Lin sat at the entrance to the tent, assuring he wouldn't go anywhere. Her expression seemed to be one of sympathy, but did she genuinely regret what she had done, or was it an act?

"You don't seem like any mercenary I've met before." Crane tried to gain some insight as to what was going on in her mind.

She didn't meet his gaze, "I'm not proud of what I do, but Kung Fu is all I know, and with the Furious Five around, being a protector just doesn't put food on the table. So this is all I can do."

"That's not true, I'm sure someone like you could find some honest work. Maybe you could teach Kung Fu."

"Not enough people care to learn anymore. They don't think they need to with you to protect them, and as I said it doesn't exactly pay well. I do what I do to survive."

Crane looked at her and sighed. He didn't see a heartless mercenary when he looked at her. He saw a good person, who was simply lost. She just needed someone to point her in the right direction. He wanted to find a way to be that person. He laid his head on the ground, and closed his eyes.

* * *

Mantis struggled against the spider's web that bound him.

"Stop that, you're not getting out." Zhi's voice came from behind him.

Mantis struggled harder, still to no avail.

She walked across her web, he started to sweat as she stood over him, "You know, I don't usually like to play with my food, but Hiro wanted me to keep you alive for some reason. So I suppose I'll let you live for now. Master Mantis of the Furious Five, I really expected more of a challenge. That wasn't much of a fight."

Mantis only grunted in response.

"The strong silent type, I like that."

"How about a rematch? I was going easy on you before."

"A rematch? Alright, I'll give you a second chance, if you can get out."

Mantis went back to struggling futilely against the web, as Zhi stood back and laughed.


	17. Chapter 17

Jai and Mei Ling sat under the Sacred Peach Tree together. Po was in the village helping his father at the noodle shop, while Shen and Zai were in the training hall. They looked out over the valley, enjoying the spectacular view of the mountains around it. A peach blossom fell from the tree and onto Mei Ling. She flicked her ear in annoyance, but didn't remove the flower. It was serene, but their peace was not to last.

Tian walked up the last of the steps leading to the tree. Jai and Mei Ling noticed her come into view. Their eyes widened in fear when she did. In one hand she held Shen, and in the other she held a knife. Shen didn't fight her, for the cold steel was pressed close to his throat.

Mei Ling and Jai stood. Mei Ling started to step towards Shen, but at the slightest movement Tian pressed the knife closer to him. A drop of blood rolled down the blade. Mei Ling stepped back into Jai's arms.

Mei Ling silently stared at Shen, with tears brimming in her eyes.

Jai didn't take his eyes away from Tian, "What do you want?"

She held tightly to the knife in her hand, "I came for the Dragon Scroll."

"You're wasting your time." Jai held back Mei Ling as she tried to move towards Shen once more.

"No, I don't think I am, now where is that scroll?" She hissed.

"We don't have it."

"What do you mean you don't have it?" She started to move the blade across Shen's neck. Another drop of blood rolled down the cold steel of the knife. Leaving a red trail across the blade.

"I mean the Dragon Warrior is the only one who knows where it is. Now please, let him go."

"Where can I find the Dragon Warrior then?"

Jai was silent. Tian moved the knife just slightly across Shen's neck, more blood trickled down.

"He's in the village."Mei Ling blurted out, "Now let him go."

Tian seemed to consider her words, "No, I don't think I will. I'll let him go when I have the scroll." She backed away, down the stairs to the palace. Never turning her back to them, or taking the knife away from Shen's throat.

Mei Ling fell to the ground as her tears started to flow.

Jai wrapped his arms around her, "Don't worry, Shen will be alright, but we need to find Po, and get the scroll."

She wiped away the tears, "Alright," she sniffled, "I just want Shen to be okay."

"He will be." Jai helped her to her feet.

* * *

Jai and Mei Ling raced down the side of the mountain to find Po. They moved quickly, yet silently, hidden within the shadows. They reached the village long before Tian.

"Po!" Mei Ling ran up to Po with Jai in tow.

Po was talking to his father when he heard her voice. He turned away from his father to see them, "Hey guys, what's up."

"Po, where's the Dragon Scroll?" Mei Ling pleaded.

Po scratched his head, "The Dragon Scroll, what do you need that for?"

"Just tell me where it is!" She growled.

"Alright alright, jeez, it's in my room up at the palace."

Mei Ling swiftly climbed back up the mountain. Shortly after she left Tian Came into view. She looked into the shop and saw Jai and Po. The villagers backed away from her as she passed , she still held the knife in one hand, and Shen in the other. He struggled to get free.

Jai tried to make a move while her guard was down, but at the slightest movement she pressed the knife back to Shen's skin. He stopped fighting when she did.

Po's eyes widened at the sight, "Shen! What the hell are you doing! Let him go!"

Tian smirked, "You must be the Dragon Warrior. Tell me, where is the Dragon Scroll?" she twisted the knife in her paw.

Po looked at her, perplexed, "Why's everyone want the Dragon Scroll all the sudden."

She held the knife tighter, "Just tell me where it is!"

"It's here." She looked behind her to see Mei Ling in the entrance to the restaurant, holding up the Dragon Scroll. She jumped onto the wall of the noodle shop and walked over to Jai. She jumped down. Mr. Ping had wisely chosen to go back inside and avoid any conflict, while the patrons had long since left the restaurant.

Mei Ling walked around her and went back to Jai.

"Give it to me." Tian demanded

Mei Ling held the scroll to her chest, "Not until he's safe." She looked at Shen.

Tian glared at her, "How do I know you won't just take the scroll when I let them go."

She looked at Shen, he looked frightened, and for good reason. She had never seen him like that though. He was much like his father, there was little that could faze him.

Mei Ling threw the scroll at her; she had to drop the cub and knife to catch it. Mei Ling and Jai embraced Shen as he ran over to them.

Tian eagerly removed the scroll from its metal container. She threw it to the ground and opened the scroll. Her face fell, she stared at the scroll, closing and reopening it a few times. She looked up at Jai, and Mei Ling pleadingly, "I, I don't understand."

Jai sighed and held his head in his hand, "Are we the only sane people left?" he asked his family, "Honestly where does everyone keep getting the idea that a scroll could possibly grant ultimate power?"

Tian looked at her reflection on the scroll, "But, but it's the Dragon Scroll, the secret to ultimate power."

"It's just a scroll, it's not magic." Mei Ling looked at Jai, "Oh, and for future reference," he said, as Mei Ling crouched low to the ground, "Never stand between a mother and her cubs." Mei Ling leapt forward with a roar.

* * *

Lin sat in the front of her tent. Crane lie on the ground in front of her, he had fallen asleep hours ago, but she couldn't. She felt his distress over what may become of his friends weigh heavily on her heart. She wasn't proud of the deeds she had done in the past, but she tried to forget. Something about the avian master brought back those memories though, made her feel newfound remorse for what she had done. Seeing him lying there, knowing that she had almost killed him, she wanted out of this life, but where was she to go? This was what she had always done, this was her life, this was all she knew.


	18. Chapter 18

_A young Lang watched as Tai Lung decimated the Field of Wooden Warriors. He tore each one down with such skill and precision. Lang could never do something like that. He sighed and walked away from the training hall. With his head hung low he walked up to the Sacred Peach Tree. Oogway was already there, looking out over the valley. He turned as Lang came up the steps, "Lang, why such a long face."_

_Lang looked up from the ground, "Oh, nothing, it's just, I can never seem to compare to Tai Lung. He's always a step ahead of me. In the time I master one scroll, he's already mastered two, sometimes three. I can't match him." Lang took a seat under the peach tree._

"_Lang, don't compare yourself to Tai Lung, he may be more skilled in Kung Fu yes, but you have your own set of skills. For example, Tai Lung has yet to answer any of my riddles. You've managed to understand every one of them."_

_Lang smiled a little, "I am the black child of a white father, a wingless bird, flying even to the clouds of heaven. I give birth to tears of mourning in pupils that meet me, even though there is no cause for grief, and at once on my birth, I am dissolved into air. What am I?"_

"_Smoke." Oogway said without so much as blinking._

_Lang groaned, "I've yet to find one that you can't answer though." He looked up at the aged tortoise. _

"_Well I have the advantage of being near a thousand years old. For one so young you have an exceptional mind. Try this one, In a marble hall white as milk Lined with skin as soft as silk Within a fountain crystal-clear A golden apple doth appear. No doors there are to this stronghold, Yet thieves break in to steal its gold."_

_Lang contemplated the words, "An egg."_

"_Right again, see you have your own skills." _

_Lang stood and looked at Oogway, "All about, but cannot be seen, Can be captured, cannot be held, No throat, but can be heard. What is it?"_

"_The wind. My life can be measured in hours; I serve by being devoured. Thin, I am quick; fat, I am slow. Wind is my foe. What am I?"_

"_A candle" They went back and forth exchanging riddles for some time after that._

Shifu was bound to a tree outside of Lang's tent. He struggled against the ropes. Lang approached him, "Oh how the mighty have fallen. Shifu, look at the mess you've made of things now."

"Lang, I assume you've come for the Dragon Scroll." He said bitterly.

Lang smiled, "Oh Shifu, you know me so well."

There was a razor edge to Shifu's voice, "And you expect to gain ultimate power, I'm afraid you'll be disappointed."

"Oh I don't know, I've already sent someone to get the scroll, they should be back soon enough."

"You still have so much to learn, Lang."

"When I left you, I was but the learner; now I am the master." Lang grinned

"Master, you're no master. A true Kung Fu warrior would use his skills to help those that can not help themselves, to protect the innocent, and to fight people like you."

"We'll see if you feel the same after I have the secret to ultimate power."

"What makes you think you'll succeed, where even Tai Lung failed?"

"Tai Lung was a prodigy in Kung Fu, but he was a fool."

Shifu smiled a little, and the edge in his voice faded, "Yes, where Tai Lung had brawn, you were always a step ahead in mind weren't you? You could always answer Oogway's riddles, but there is still much that you don't understand, and I'm afraid that this is one riddle you don't seem to have the answer to. You will never have the secret to ultimate power."

"We shall see." Lang walked off

* * *

Mei Ling was in her and Jai's bathhouse cleaning the blood from her fur and claws. She had gotten a little carried away when she attacked Tian, but she had threatened her cub, and she wouldn't let her off easy for that. She had sent Tian back to wherever she came from bloody and beaten.

Jai came into the bathhouse, "Are you going to be much longer?"

Mei Ling scrubbed the red out of her coat, "Why the rush?"

"I have a bad feeling, like something's happened. I want to make sure the others are alright."

She inspected her claws, "Well, I've gotten most of the blood out. I'll get dressed and we can go. You think Shen will be safe with Po?"

"I certainly don't think that she'll be coming back if that's what you're asking, so he should be fine."

Mei Ling rose from the waters, Jai looked her over intently. She stepped out of the water, "Like what you see?"Jai stared at her exposed form with a wide grin. She took a towel from a wooden rack and dried her fur, then sauntered over the door and into their bedroom. She took her clothes from a dresser and covered herself.

Jai's smile faded, and he became more serious, "Good, now, we should find Po." They found him in the kitchen preparing everyone's lunch.

He looked up from his cooking to see them, "Hey guys, it'll be ready in just a minute."

"We'll skip lunch today Po." said Jai, "We're going to the Thread of Hope; I want to be sure the others are alright."

"You don't think something happened do you."

"Well that woman obviously got past them somehow."

Po turned away from the stove, "Tigress! You think she's alright?"

Mei Ling stepped forward, "That's what we want to be sure of."

"I want to come too, and see that she's safe."

"Sorry Po, but you'll slow us down. We need to get there as quickly as possible, and we need you to stay with Shen and Zai."

Po looked at his feet and sighed, "You're right, if she's in trouble you need to get there soon. Don't worry," He turned back to his cooking, "I'll take care of Shen for you."

"Good, we should be back in a day or two."

Jai started towards the door, "And I promise you that Tigress will be safe."

They left the kitchen, leaving a worried Po to his cooking. They traveled as fast as four legs could carry them. Mei Ling had difficulty keeping up with Jai, but he would not slow down, not when someone close to him was in danger.

* * *

A/N: I love Star Wars, could you tell? I just couldn't pass up the quote there. Anyway, about this chapter, so what have we learned today? Let's review; Lang seems to have trained with Tai Lung under Shifu, and where Tai Lung was the brawn, he was the brain. Now will this come into play later? Hell if I know. You guys will be the deciding factor there. Don't make Mei Ling mad, and Shifu is tied to a tree. So anyway, let's review, seriously, just click the little button down there, and review. I promise, the faster you do so, the faster I update.


	19. Chapter 19

* * *

Mei Ling and Jai sped through the forests. They passed by Tian, she was in a poor physical state, yet managed to travel at an impressive rate nonetheless, and she still held the Dragon Scroll in her maw as she traveled on four legs. They weren't seen, though even if they were she wouldn't have had time to recognize them. Mei Ling was struggling to keep up with Jai, fast as she was, he was much faster. It was getting late and they had been running all day, Jai didn't seem to notice, but she was feeling it, "Can we…please…rest?" She spoke between heavy breaths.

Jai didn't seem to hear her at first, but the words eventually reached him and he looked back. He stopped abruptly. She sunk her claws into the dirt to halt herself. She slid to a stop at Jai's feet, and then collapsed on the ground panting rapidly. Jai knelt down next to her, "Sorry, I've lost track of time. How long have we been running?"

Mei Ling looked at the setting sun, "Don't know," She caught her breath, "We've been going for most of the day though."

Jai helped her to sit up, and propped her up against a tree. "Then the Thread of Hope shouldn't be far. You rest here, I'll go ahead." He left her and went off to the Thread of Hope. Mei Ling closed her eyes and leaned against the tree.

_She had mastered the thousand scrolls. She had created her own style of Kung Fu for heaven's sake. So why couldn't she just do this. This should be one of the greatest days of her life. The day she would marry the man she loved, and she did love him, with all her heart. So why couldn't she go out there. She just had to walk down the aisle and pronounce her love for Jai. Oh gods, why was this so hard? She wondered if Jai was going through all of this too. Probably not, Jai always had a cool head, it was one of the many things she loved about him._

_The thousand scrolls were easy, but this, this was another story altogether. What if she changed her mind, what if this was a mistake, what if they weren't meant for each other after all. No, no don't think like that. This shouldn't be difficult. He loved her, and she loved him. So why couldn't he just go out there and tell her how he felt, in front of all their friends, and family. Oh gods, what am I going to do, he thought._

_He walked down the aisle and up to the emperor. He was a close friend to Jai, and had agreed to reside over the wedding. Jai was nervous, he felt hundreds of butterflies in his stomach. Mei Ling wasn't feeling any better, but as she stepped out in her red dress and their eyes met, they felt those butterflies melt away. She walked up the aisle to Jai and the emperor. He took her hands in his. Her eyes never strayed from his. The emperor gave a speech, but they weren't listening, they were both transfixed by the others gaze. _

_When the wedding was over Jai carried her over the threshold of their new home in the imperial city, courtesy of the emperor. He lay her down on the bed, and she pulled him down on top of her. _

Mei Ling woke with a start. She looked over to where the sun had been, but it had faded behind the mountains. She stood and ran as fast as she could to the Thread of Hope. She hoped Jai had made it there and assisted the others already.

* * *

The Dragon Warrior sat under the peach tree looking out over the valley. Shen and Zai were in bed, along with most of the villagers. There were still a few lights burning against the black night, but it was mostly dark, and quite. Po turned his attention up to the stars, so bright against the dark veil around them. He saw them shift and form a picture. It was of Tigress. She stared back at him with two glowing eyes. Her tail swayed through the black pool that was the sky. She was smiling, as if to say that everything would be all right. She flew down to the ground on unseen wings. She touched the ground with a grace that only a goddess could posses. The white hot stars faded into orange fur and black stripes. Po stood and took her hands into his, and everything was right again.

He opened his eyes and looked up to the stars. They still burned bright against the dark night, but Tigress was nowhere to be seen in them. He hoped his dream was a bit more than that, and that everything would indeed be right again. He sighed, then stood and walked back to the bunkhouse.

* * *

_Lang was in the Hall of Warriors looking at Tai Lung with envy, he was about to receive the Dragon Scroll. He mastered all the thousand scrolls of Kung Fu, and now Oogway would give him the ultimate honor of becoming the Dragon Warrior. He had always been in Tai Lung's shadow, hard as he strived to surpass him._

_He watched as Oogway walked up to Tai Lung, who stood tall and proud, and shook his head. Tai Lung's face fell, and Lang's eyes widened. Had Oogway just denied Tai Lung the Dragon Scroll? Shifu and Oogway turned away from Tai Lung. He, enraged, stormed out of the hall. Lang stared up at the scroll. If Tai Lung wasn't the Dragon Warrior, maybe this was his chance to come out of his shadow. Maybe it was his turn to Shine._

_He ran up to Oogway, "Master Oogway, if Tai Lung is not the Dragon Warrior, then who is?" he hopefully asked._

"_I don't know," Oogway replied, "All we can do is wait and see, the true Dragon Warrior, will reveal himself when the time is right."_

_Lang brightened, maybe in time, he could become the Dragon Warrior._

Mei Ling arrived at the Thread of Hope, she saw Jai fighting the bandits, there were six. Jai was holding his own well enough, but he was outnumbered, and they were wearing him down. She jumped into the fray. She stood back to back with Jai as the bandits encircled them.

"What took you so long?" He asked

"Sorry, I fell asleep."

He groaned, "Well, better late than never I suppose."

"I got here in time to save your sorry tail didn't I?"

They assumed fighting stances, as the bandits converged on them.

Hiro, Ando and Mohinder went straight for Mei Ling, while Lang, Lin, and Zhi went for Jai. Lin swooped down towards Jai, he ducked under her, but Zhi came at him and delivered a powerful kick to his jaw. He staggered back, he recovered quickly enough to see Lang coming at him.

Jai blocked and dodged Lang's attacks. Zhi came at him from the side again, but he knocked her out of the air and she slammed hard into the ground. Lin swooped down to attack him occasionally, but she was easy enough to dodge, and for the most part she stayed out of the fight. It was like she was actually letting him win.

Jai hit Lang in the gut, he doubled over holding his abdomen. While he was coughing and trying to catch the breath that had been knocked out of him he looked over to Mei Ling. Ando was crushing her in a bear hug. Jai ran past Zhi and slammed his fist into Ando's face. He was knocked back several yards.

Jai ran over to Mei Ling who was kneeling on the ground trying to breathe again.

"What took you so long?" she asked

"I got her in time to save your sorry tail didn't I?" he replied.

Hiro came at them while Mei Ling was still recovering, he jumped over her and onto Jai. His hands were wrapped tightly around his neck, but Jai worked his legs up to his chest and kicked him off. While he was sailing through the air Mei Ling jumped up and grabbed him. She spun around and threw him into the ground. When the dust cleared Hiro was in a sizable crater.

Mohinder leapt over Hiro's lame body at Mei Ling. She snatched him out of the air and slammed his head into the ground. She looked over to Jai to see him fighting Ando. Everything that Jai did seemed to bounce right off the massive ape.

She rushed over to help him, but Lang stood in her path. He swung at her, she dodged and Zhi came from behind her. Zhi delivered a kick to her spine, sending her towards Lang. He grabbed her arms and held her in place. She kicked his legs out from under him, and he pulled them both to the ground.

Mei Ling got back up and watched Lang, but she had forgotten about Zhi. She delivered another hit to Mei Ling's back, then her chest, her head, and her ribs. Mei Ling wasn't deterred, she had taken worse. She stood her ground as Lang and Zhi prepared to charge at her again.

Jai couldn't seem to hurt the ape before him. Every hit was like hitting a brick wall, except the brick wall would crumble, Ando wouldn't fall. Jai was having an easy enough time dodging his attacks, but it wouldn't do him much good if he couldn't fight back. That hit before had worked hadn't it?

So what did he need to do, he needed to go for his head. Jai did just that. He back flipped and caught him in the jaw. Ando staggered back, Jai lunged forward. He jumped up above him and brought his fist down to meet his face.

Ando fell to the ground, Jai jumped up again, soaring high into the air, and he came back down onto Ando's skull, he heard bones cracking in his face.

Lin had completely disappeared from the fight, but they were too distracted to notice.

He looked back at Mei Ling, and saw her take a fighting stance as Lang and Zhi prepared to attack her. Jai rushed over and hit Lang in the chest, sending him flying across the camp, and before she could react he brought his foot down on Zhi.

He walked over to Mei Ling, she was breathing heavily and holding her side, "Are you alright?"

"Maybe a cracked rib or two at worst, but I think they're just bruised. I'll heal, you?"

"I'm good. Now let's get the others out of here, it's getting late."

* * *

Okay well hope that was fun to read. How was the fight? Please let me know in your reviews, and please REVIEW! They make me want to update.

Oh and if you thought that Lang should've had a more creative way of restraining Shifu, I ask you this. Where would be the comedy?


	20. Chapter 20

_Lang was devastated when he heard that someone had received the Dragon Scroll, and it was a panda! That scroll was his chance to finally surpass Tai Lung, and it had been given away to a panda who didn't even know Kung Fu. He was infuriated by the news. Everything he had ever done, everything he worked for, was covered by Tai Lung's accomplishments, and now they always would be. There had to be something he could do, maybe he could succeed where Tai Lung failed. Maybe he could do the one thing he couldn't, maybe he could take the scroll. People would remember his name then. China would kneel before him if he had that scroll. Yes, he would have it, one way, or another._

* * *

Tigress walked up to Hiro as he lay on the ground, and kicked him between the legs. Hiro stayed on the ground holding himself and groaning in pain. Mei Ling and Jai looked about them, quite satisfied with their work. Mohinder tried to get his head off the ground, but Viper whipped him in the back of the head and held him down. Mantis did his best to treat Monkey's wounds, it seems Ando had used him as his personal chew toy

Tian came into the camp coated in her own blood. The fire in Mei Ling's eyes was like nothing she had ever seen before, she had never been so afraid. She still clutched the Dragon Scroll to her chest. It was nightfall when she arrived. Her injuries had slowed her down.

In the camp she saw that Lang and the others lay upon the ground, defeated. She saw Jai and Mei Ling standing over them, along with the Five, and Shifu.

Lang raised his head up and saw her, "Tian, what happened to you?" Even the Five and Shifu looked at her sympathetically.

Mei Ling answered for her, "That's what she gets for threatening my cub." She crossed her arms over her chest and stood tall and proud.

Tian groaned and dropped the scroll, it rolled to Lang. He eagerly sat up and took the scroll, "You see Shifu," he laughed, as he removed the scroll from its encasing, "I told you I would have the secret to ultimate power." He threw open the scroll, and stared at his own reflection, "What? It's nothing!"

Jai picked up the casing for the scroll, "And that," He took the scroll from Lang, "is the secret to ultimate power." He placed the scroll back into the metal cylinder.

"I don't understand." Lang looked up to Jai pleadingly, he had always been so could with Oogway's riddles, but what did this mean. This was one he didn't understand.

Jai rolled his eyes, "There is no secret. No one is just going to hand you ultimate power. That's something you'll have to find on your own. Now, get out of the valley."

Lang stood, "And where am I supposed to go?"

Jai shrugged, "Not my problem."

"You can't just-" Jai let out a deep and loud growl. Lang swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat and fearfully backed down.

"You should consider yourself lucky I don't kill you all right here." He spoke through gritted teeth, "And let me be perfectly clear when I say, if I ever see you again, I, will, kill, you." By the end of this he was an inch from Lang's face.

Lang was shaking with fear as he started towards the Thread of Hope. The other bandits had already run away with their tails between their legs.

Lin made her way towards her tent, where Crane still resided. She hesitated at the opening to the tent, before making her way inside. Crane pushed himself off the ground and saw her come in, "Shouldn't you be going with the others."

Lin looked remorseful, she avoided Crane's eyes, "No, I won't be leaving with them. I've done my job. I have no reason to stay with them."

"Right, I forgot, you're a mercenary. So what did you come to me for?"

"I came to say…I just wanted…" She sighed, why couldn't she get out the words.

"Apology accepted."

"What?" Lin stared at him in both shock and awe

Crane put a wing on her shoulder, "You have a good heart, this isn't the life you should be living. You're better than that."

Lin placed her own wing over Crane's, "A good heart, even now you say that I have a good heart, but I nearly killed you. You have every right to despise me."

"But I don't. You're a good person…you know, I just realized, I don't even know your name."

"Lin, my name is Lin."

"Lin, well then I do think you're a good person Lin, and that you deserve a better life than this." He gave a reassuring smile.

She did the same, "Thank you, Master Crane."

"Please, just call me Crane, and you're welcome." They bowed to each other, then exited the tent. Crane watched as Lin took to the sky. She flew out to the horizon, with the light of the moon as her guide. Crane rejoined the Five, and started back towards the Jade Palace

* * *

The trip back was fairly quite.

Tigress thought of Po, she couldn't wait to get back home, so that she could tell him everything that she wanted to, about how she really felt.

She pulled Mei Ling away from Jai and the others, "Mei Ling, I wanted to ask you something."

"Alright, what do you need to know?"

"When you met Jai, how did you know he was the one for you?"

"When we met, are you kidding? I hated him when we first met."

Tigress was surprised, "But you two seem so perfect together."

"I hated Jai when I met him, I felt like he had stolen something from me. I graduated from Li Da with the highest honors, I became the top instructor there, and then he shows up and takes away everything I worked for. I hated him for it, and for a very long time, but then we started to drift closer. I came to respect him as a master, then as a close friend, and then something more. I don't know how it happened, but, he made me love him."

Tigress was silent, processing what she had just heard. She had once considered Po her worst enemy, because he had robbed her of everything she worked for, then her feelings changed, and now she couldn't deny them.

* * *

It was in the morning two days later when they arrived back at the Jade Palace. Normally they would've been back by the afternoon of the next day, but Monkey's injuries slowed them down significantly. They were all tired from the trek back. Everyone was quick to retire to their rooms, all except Tigress. She wanted to find Po first. She did so in the training hall, where Po was on the ground laughing and playing with Shen and Zai.

He looked up and saw her in the doorway, "Tigress!" He promptly stood up and ran over to her, "Are you alright?"

She didn't answer, instead she threw her arms around his neck and took him into a very passionate kiss. Po was too stunned to move at first, but soon enough his hands moved to her hips and held her close, he melted into the kiss, and in that moment, everything was right.

Shen and Zai slipped by the pair and out the door, they thought it best to give them some privacy.

They stayed that way for a long time, only breaking away when they needed to breathe.

Po had a stupefied expression, "What did I do to deserve that."

Tigress laid her head against his chest, "You made me love you."

* * *

A/N: and on that note, I bring this story to a close. Personally I think those last few chapters could've been better, but overall not bad for my first attempt. So what do you guys think of it? It was fun to write, and i hope you enjoyed the ride as much as I did, and remember to vote in the poll on my profile.


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